Cantons of Costa Rica

Cantons are the only administrative division in Costa Rica that possess local government in the form of municipalities.

4366 of 19 August 1969, which outlines the creation of administrative divisions of Costa Rica, states that new cantons may only be created if they have at least one percent of the republic's total population, which was 5,044,197 as of the latest estimate (2022).

[6] The term reflects the fact that the cantons in Costa Rica have approximately the same function as municipios ("municipalities") in many other Spanish-speaking countries.

The council's main task is to manage the canton at the local level, and is responsible for planning basic policies and establishing budgets.

More specifically, the responsibilities include urban and agricultural planning and organizing cultural affairs, health care, education and industry.