Greater Metropolitan Area (Costa Rica)


The Greater Metropolitan Area of Costa Rica, is the largest urban agglomeration in Costa Rica, comprising areas of high population density surrounding the capital, San José, which geographically corresponds to the Central Valley and extended to include the Guarco Valley, where some of the cantons of the Cartago province are located.
The proper definition and delimitation corresponds to the National Institute of Statistics and Census of Costa Rica and could vary over time. According to the last census, the GAM has a population of 2.2 million inhabitants in an area of 2,044 km².

General definition

Since colonial times, Costa Rica's Central Valley houses a major share of the population in less than a tenth of the country's total area. On this plateau lies three of the seven provincial seats, including the capital, San José. Throughout the years a strong immigration stream spurred by the uneven economic opportunities and a growing job demand helped to expand this urban cores and to develop new residential areas in former agricultural lands.
The Greater Metropolitan Area has an area of composed of the Central Valley and Guarco Valley, partially covering the four provinces of San José, Alajuela, Cartago and Heredia, and the following cantons :