The canton begins in the southern suburbs of the national capital city of San José, with the Tiribí River marking its northern boundary.

It snakes its way south as a backward letter S, finally reaching its southern limit at the Tarrazú River.

It contains the bigger of the last forest lungs in the Greater Metropolitan Area, the Loma Salitral, which conservation issues have generated social conflicts between community environmentalists and immobility developers, as it is seen as an identity mark of the desamparadeño people and a vital infiltration area to prevent the frequents and disastrous floods in the district of Gravilias.

[5] As of the latest municipal elections in 2024, the National Liberation Party candidate, María Antonieta Naranjo Brenes, was elected mayor of the canton with 26.38% of the votes, with Carlos Alberto Padilla Corella and Kenneth Alexander Cubillo Vargas as first and second vice mayors, respectively.

[8] The Municipal Council's composition for the 2024-2028 period is as follows: The canton of Desamparados is subdivided into 13 districts:[10] The football soccer club Orión F.C.