# Poás Canton, Alajuela Province – Population, Districts & Map

> Source: https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/alajuela/poas/

Canton · Alajuela Province 

# Poás Canton

Poás Canton is a canton of Costa Rica in Alajuela Province. It had an estimated **34,470 people** in 2021 on 74 km² (about 463 per km²). It is divided into 5 districts. 44 named villages and localities are recorded here, and 141 mapped services such as hospitals, banks and schools.

- 34,470people (2021)
- 74.5km²
- 5districts
- 141mapped services

## How many people live in Poás Canton?

Poás Canton had an estimated **34,470 people** in 2021 — 3.3% of Alajuela Province, 49th of 83 cantons. There are 971 women for every 1,000 men (close to the Alajuela Province figure of 973). Spread over 74 km², that is about **463 people per km²**, 25th of 83 cantons.

22.2% of people are children under 15 and 8.5% are 65 or older; the median age is about 32 years (it is 32 across Alajuela Province). For every 100 people of working age (15–64) there are 44 children and older people.

0–4 ****2,559**

5–9 ****2,526**

10–14 ****2,572**

15–19 ****2,438**

20–24 ****2,878**

25–29 ****2,954**

30–34 ****3,171**

35–39 ****2,928**

40–44 ****2,376**

45–49 ****1,938**

50–54 ****1,929**

55–59 ****1,780**

60–64 ****1,481**

65–69 ****1,130**

70–74 ****740**

75+ ****1,070**

Source: [Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, population 2021 (COD-PS, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ps-cri).

## Where is Poás Canton?

Poás Canton lies in [Alajuela Province](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/alajuela/), [Costa Rica](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/). It borders 3 other cantons: [Alajuela Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/alajuela/alajuela/), [Grecia Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/alajuela/grecia/) and [Sarchí Canton](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/alajuela/sarchi/). By area it is the 64th largest of 84 cantons in Costa Rica. It covers 0.8% of [Alajuela Province](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/alajuela/). The centre of Poás Canton is about 26 km in a straight line from San José, the capital. It is about 10 km from Alajuela, the main town of Alajuela Province. The centre point is at 10.1062° N, 84.2407° W.

Source: [Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-cri).

## Things to see in and around Poás Canton

OpenStreetMap lists 5 named sights in Poás Canton: 2 viewpoints; 1 volcano; 1 waterfall; 1 attraction.

- Catarata don Luis · waterfall
- Vísta de la Laguna Botos · viewpoint
- Vísta del Cráter del Volcán Poás · viewpoint
- El Escondite de La Montaña · attraction
- Poás · volcano

Source: [© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright).

Named attractions, museums, viewpoints, historic sites and natural features mapped in OpenStreetMap. Places of worship are not listed.

## Know before you go: Poás Canton

- Time zoneUTC−6, no daylight saving · America/Costa_Rica
- CurrencyColon (CRC)
- Country calling code+506
- LanguagesSpanish, English
- Plug typesType A, B · 120 V
- Driving sideRight
- Postcode format5 digits (#####)

### Nearest airports

- Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) · San José (Alajuela)13 km
- Tobías Bolaños International Airport (SYQ) · San Jose20 km

### Nearest railway station

Hospital Alajuela (Alajuela), about 11 km from the centre.

### Daylight

Days are longest in Jun (about 12.7 hours, sunrise around 05:15) and shortest in Dec (about 11.5 hours, sunrise around 05:45, sunset around 17:18).

Source: [GeoNames country and time-zone files (CC BY 4.0)](https://www.geonames.org/); [Wikidata (CC0) — plug types, mains voltage, driving side; retrieved 2026-11-03](https://www.wikidata.org/); [OurAirports (public domain)](https://ourairports.com/data/).

Airports with scheduled passenger flights; straight-line distances. Daylight is calculated for the 15th of each month in local standard time. Check entry and visa rules with official government sources before travelling.

## Districts of Poás Canton

District People per km² Area km² Localities Services 

[Carrillos](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/alajuela/poas/carrillos/) 11,148 1,100 10 8 27 

[San Pedro](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/alajuela/poas/san-pedro/) 8,200 604 14 14 56 

[San Rafael](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/alajuela/poas/san-rafael/) 6,560 462 14 9 14 

[San Juan](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/alajuela/poas/san-juan/) 5,564 340 16 10 22 

[Sabana Redonda](https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/alajuela/poas/sabana-redonda/) 2,998 148 20 3 22 

Source: [Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-cri); [Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, population 2021 (COD-PS, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ps-cri).

## Villages and localities in Poás Canton

Open gazetteers list **44 villages, towns and localities** in Poás Canton. The largest with a recorded population: Carrillos (4,258). Settlements here lie between about 834 m and 2,315 m above sea level (median 1,164 m).

- Altura
- América
- Bajo Barahona
- Bajo Zamora
- Bajos del Tigre
- Carrillos
- Carrillos Alto
- Carrillos Bajo
- Chilamate
- Churuca
- Colibri
- Corazón de Jesús
- Cuatro Esquinas
- El Cerro
- El INVU
- El Rastro
- El Sitio
- Guapinol
- Guatuza
- Hilda
- Imas
- La Hilda
- La Pradera
- Liles
- Mastate
- Mesón
- Monte
- Rastro
- Rincón
- Sabana Redonda
- Salto Carrillos
- San Juan Bosco
- San Juan Norte
- San Juan Sur
- San Pancracio
- San Pedro
- San Rafael
- Santa Cecilia
- Santa Rosa
- Solís
- Sonora
- Tablones
- Villas Don Manuel
- Zamora

Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/); [© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright).

## Landscape and landmarks of Poás Canton

Named natural and historic features inside Poás Canton, from the GeoNames gazetteer.

### Water

10 rivers and streams; 1 waterfall.

- Cataratas Los Chorros
- Quebrada Caña
- Quebrada Guatuza
- Quebrada Hilda
- Quebrada Platanillo
- Quebrada Prendilas
- Quebrada Tigre
- Quebrada Zamora
- Quebrada Álamo
- Río Poas
- Río Prendas

Source: [GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features](https://www.geonames.org/).

Places of worship are not listed. Elevations are from the GeoNames terrain model and are approximate.

## Weather in Poás Canton and the best time to visit

In Poás Canton, the warmest month is Apr (average 25 °C) and the coolest is Dec (22 °C). About 1,793 mm of rain falls in a year; the wettest month is Oct (301 mm) and the driest Feb (22 mm). The most comfortable months for a visit are **December to April**.

- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec

Month Average °C Rain mm 

Jan 23 38 

Feb 24 22 

Mar 25 29 

Apr 25 76 

May 24 220 

Jun 24 209 

Jul 23 184 

Aug 23 198 

Sep 23 256 

Oct 23 301 

Nov 22 188 

Dec 22 70 

Source: [NASA POWER climatology, retrieved 2026-10-29](https://power.larc.nasa.gov/).

## Hospitals, banks and other services in Poás Canton

Places mapped inside Poás Canton in open map data, by type — each number opens the full list with locations.

- Hospitals3
- Banks5
- ATMs1
- Petrol pumps3
- Hotels18
- Shopping malls1
- Schools20
- Colleges and universities3
- Pharmacies2
- Restaurants74
- Police stations4
- Dental clinics7

Source: [Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)](https://overturemaps.org/).

Coverage depends on what has been mapped; contact details are not shown.

## Quick answers

- Where is Poás Canton?In Alajuela Province, Costa Rica
- What is the population of Poás Canton?34,470 (2021 estimate)
- What is the median age in Poás Canton?About 32 years (2021 estimate)
- What is the population density of Poás Canton?About 463 people per km²
- What borders Poás Canton?Alajuela Canton, Grecia Canton and Sarchí Canton
- What is there to see in Poás Canton?Catarata don Luis, El Escondite de La Montaña, Poás, Vísta de la Laguna Botos
- What time zone is Poás Canton in?UTC−6
- What currency is used in Poás Canton?Colon (CRC)
- What language is spoken in Poás Canton?Spanish, English (main languages nationally)
- How many villages are in Poás Canton?44 named settlements (GeoNames, OpenStreetMap)
- What is the elevation of Poás Canton?Settlements lie between 834 m and 2,315 m
- What is the best time to visit Poás Canton?December to April
- How many hospitals are in Poás Canton?3 mapped
- How many banks are in Poás Canton?5 mapped
- How many ATMs are in Poás Canton?1 mapped
- How many petrol pumps are in Poás Canton?3 mapped
- What is the P-code of Poás Canton?CR208 (OCHA common operational dataset)