Talamanca (canton)


Talamanca is the fourth canton in the province of Limón in Costa Rica. It is the 2nd largest of Costa Rica's 81 cantons, covering an area of, and has a population of 32,555. The county is composed of four districts, with its capital city, Bribrí, located in the Bratsi district. Talamanca houses the largest indigenous population in the country, which is composed principally of the Bribri and Cabécar groups.
Eight-eight percent of Talamanca's territory is protected. Fifty-five percent of this land falls under the Chirripó, Amistad, and Cahuita National Parks; 31% covers Talamanca's four indigenous reserves ; and 2% belongs to the Refugio de Vida Silvestre Gandoca Manzanillo national "reserve".
The Costa Rican government is highly aggressive in its protection of these lands. On July 27, 2011, for example, the Ministerio de Ambiente, Energía y Telecomunicaciones carried out the demolition of two hotels, due to their occupation of 4 hectares of land within the Refugio de Vida Silvestre Gandoca Manzanillo. This demolition was the culmination of events starting in 1993, when Minaet revoked these hotels' permission of occupation.
The county suffers from pervasive poverty. As of 2009, its human-development index is the lowest-ranked of all Costa Rican cantons. While its most recent infant mortality rate is 12.89%, it was as high as 22.5%, and stayed above 15% between 2003 and 2007. As of 2010, 52.3% of Talamanca inhabitants have access to sanitation, and 75.2% are connected to electricity.
Talamanca contains one of Costa Rica's three official border-crossing points. The county is noted for its beautiful beaches, especially in Cahuita and Puerto Viejo, which are popular tourist locations.

Districts

The canton of Talamanca is subdivided into four districts :

History

The canton was established by law on May 20, 1969.