Osa (canton)
Canton in Puntarenas province, Costa Rica
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Osa is a canton in the Puntarenas province of Costa Rica.[2][3] The head city is in Puerto Cortés district.
Osa | |
|---|---|
| |
 Flag | |
 Osa canton | |
  Osa Osa canton location in Costa Rica | |
| Coordinates: 8.8913368°N 83.5286361°W | |
| Country |  Costa Rica |
| Province | Puntarenas |
| Creation | 29 July 1940[1] |
| Head city | Puerto Cortés |
| Districts | |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Body | Municipalidad de Osa |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,930.24 km2 (745.27 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 24 m (79 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 29,433 |
| • Density | 15.248/km2 (39.493/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−06:00 |
| Canton code | 605 |
| Website | www |
History
Geography
Osa has an area of 1,930.24 km2[4] and a mean elevation of 24 metres.[2]
The canton begins at the Barú River near Dominical on the central Pacific coast. It continues as a narrow strip of land southward to include the area around Palmar and Sierpe, finally widening to take in the entire neck and upper portion of the Osa Peninsula, where significant gold mining operations are located. As its name suggests, humpback whales and dolphins migrate into the waters to calve, mate, and to rest. Whale watching is available along the coasts. Isla del Caño is part of Osa canton.
Districts
The canton of Osa is subdivided into the following districts:
Demographics
Transportation
Road transportation
The canton is covered by the following road routes:
Conservation and tourism
In the canton there are conservation areas that are part of the Osa Conservation Area, such as Corcovado National Park, Ballena Marine National Park and Piedras Blancas National Park. The stone spheres of Costa Rica are found in this canton.[8]
