Limón

Province on the east coast of Costa Rica; area 9,189 sq km/3,548 sq mi; population (1996) 255,200. It is bounded on the east by the Caribbean Sea and on the south by Panama. Cacao and bananas are the main commercial crops. The seaport town of Limón is the capital of the province.

Most of the province lies in the coastal lowlands, but its western borders reach into the central plateau, the Meseta Central. The Rio Reventazon, one of Costa Rica's main rivers, flows from the mountains west-east across the province. Other important rivers are the Tortuguero and the Parismina. In the east the climate is tropical with very heavy rainfall.