What is the capital of Costa Rica?

The capital of Costa Rica is San José.

San José lies in the country’s Central Valley and serves as Costa Rica’s political, economic, and transportation hub. It is also the capital of San José Province, a detail that can cause confusion because the city and province share the same name. The name honors Joseph of Nazareth.

The settlement was founded in 1736 by order of the colonial authorities, who wanted to gather scattered residents of the Aserrí Valley around a chapel. Unlike the older colonial city of Cartago, San José was not initially established through a formal city decree. Its importance grew after the Tobacco Factory opened in 1782, helping concentrate wealth and population there.

San José became Costa Rica’s capital in 1823, after the country’s independence from Spain. Cartago, Alajuela, and Limón are all important Costa Rican places, but none is the national capital: Cartago was the colonial capital, Alajuela is a major city near the main international airport, and Limón is the country’s principal Caribbean port.