District · Dota Canton
# Santa María

Santa María is a district of Costa Rica in Dota Canton, San José Province. It had an estimated 5,216 people in 2021 on 94 km² (about 56 per km²). 25 named villages and localities are recorded here, and 21 mapped services such as hospitals, banks and schools.
- 5,216 people (2021)
- 93.6 km²
- 21 mapped services
- 1,659 m typical elevation

## How many people live in Santa María?

Santa María had an estimated 5,216 people in 2021 — 65.2% of Dota Canton, 291st of 472 districts. There are 986 women for every 1,000 men (close to the Dota Canton figure of 982). Spread over 94 km², that is about 56 people per km², 324th of 472 districts.

23.3% of people are children under 15 and 8.5% are 65 or older; the median age is about 30 years (it is 30 across Dota Canton). For every 100 people of working age (15–64) there are 47 children and older people.
- 0–4 418
- 5–9 405
- 10–14 393
- 15–19 381
- 20–24 486
- 25–29 548
- 30–34 470
- 35–39 349
- 40–44 298
- 45–49 249
- 50–54 265
- 55–59 281
- 60–64 228
- 65–69 172
- 70–74 101
- 75+ 172

Source: Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, population 2021 (COD-PS, CC BY-IGO).

## Where is Santa María?

Santa María lies in Dota Canton, San José Province, Costa Rica. It borders 5 other districts: Copey, Jardín, Río Nuevo, San Lorenzo and San Marcos. By area it is the 163rd largest of 492 districts in Costa Rica. It covers 23.1% of Dota Canton. The centre of Santa María is about 44 km in a straight line from San José, the capital. The centre point is at 9.5544° N, 83.9712° W.

Source: Costa Rica National Statistics Office (NSO) via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO).

## Things to see in and around Santa María

OpenStreetMap lists 3 named sights in Santa María: 2 attractions; 1 monument.
- Café Solís y Cordero · attraction
- Dota · attraction
- Monumento a los Caídos de la Guerra Civil de 1948 · monument

### Nearby, outside Santa María
- Cascada La Bomba · waterfall, Copey 7.5 km
- Cueva de Piedras Blancas · cave, Río Nuevo 9.0 km
- Criadero de Truchas · aquarium, Copey 11 km
- Centro Turistico La Libia · attraction, San Lorenzo 11 km
- El Pocerón Waterfall · waterfall, Copey 12 km
- Brujo River Valley · viewpoint, Copey 12 km
- Tami Lodge Waterfall · waterfall, Copey 13 km
- Villa Vanilla Spice Farm · attraction, Naranjito 13 km
- Safari Adventures Canopy · attraction, Naranjito 13 km
- Reserva Biológica Cerro Las Vueltas · nature reserve, Copey 14 km
- Sabanas Vueltas · nature reserve, Copey 14 km
- Quepo Canyoning Office · attraction, Naranjito 15 km

Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements.

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

## Know before you go: Santa María
- Time zone UTC−6, no daylight saving · America/Costa_Rica
- Currency Colon (CRC)
- Country calling code +506
- Languages Spanish, English
- Plug types Type A, B · 120 V
- Driving side Right
- Postcode format 5 digits (#####)

### Nearest airports
- Quepos Managua Airport (XQP) · Quepos 21 km
- Tobías Bolaños International Airport (SYQ) · San Jose 48 km

### Nearest railway station

Paraíso (Paraíso), about 34 km from the centre.

### Daylight

Days are longest in Jun (about 12.7 hours, sunrise around 05:15) and shortest in Dec (about 11.6 hours, sunrise around 05:43, sunset around 17:18).

Source: GeoNames country and time-zone files (CC BY 4.0); Wikidata (CC0) — plug types, mains voltage, driving side; retrieved 2026-11-03; OurAirports (public domain).

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.

## Villages and localities in Santa María

Open gazetteers list 25 villages, towns and localities in Santa María. Settlements here lie between about 1,334 m and 1,973 m above sea level (median 1,659 m).
- Bandera
- Botella
- Cedral
- El Cedral
- El Imas
- El Invu
- Guaria
- Guayabal
- Higueronal
- La Guaria
- La Máquina
- Las Ares
- Las Margaritas
- Las Nubes
- Naranjo
- Nubes
- Reyes
- Rincón Solís
- San Gerardo
- San Isidro
- San Joaquín
- San Lucas
- San Rafael
- Santa María
- Vapor

Source: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features; © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract — named settlements.

## Landscape and landmarks of Santa María

Named natural and historic features inside Santa María, from the GeoNames gazetteer.

### Water

11 rivers and streams.
- Quebrada Agüero
- Quebrada Grande
- Quebrada Guaria
- Quebrada Mata
- Quebrada Pirranga
- Quebrada Rivas
- Quebrada Salto
- Quebrada Yases
- Río San Joaquín
- Río San Lucas
- Río San Rafael

### Hills and mountains

4 mountains.
- Cerro Camorra · 2,096 m
- Cerro Calera · 2,069 m
- Cerro Milagro · 1,720 m
- Cerro Nene · 1,291 m

Source: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) — settlements, natural and historic features.

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

## Weather in Santa María and the best time to visit

Using the climate of Dota Canton, the warmest month is Apr (average 24 °C) and the coolest is Jan (23 °C), after allowing for this place being about 314 m lower than the climate reference point (about 6.5 °C per 1,000 m). About 2,258 mm of rain falls in a year; the wettest month is Oct (277 mm) and the driest Feb (60 mm). The most comfortable months for a visit are January to March.
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
| Month | Average °C | Rain mm |
| Jan | 23 | 101 |
| Feb | 23 | 60 |
| Mar | 24 | 73 |
| Apr | 24 | 125 |
| May | 24 | 253 |
| Jun | 24 | 240 |
| Jul | 23 | 266 |
| Aug | 23 | 226 |
| Sep | 23 | 233 |
| Oct | 23 | 277 |
| Nov | 23 | 254 |
| Dec | 23 | 150 |

Source: NASA POWER climatology, retrieved 2026-10-29.

## Nearest hospital, bank and fuel from Santa María
| Need | Nearest mapped | Distance | |
| Hospital | Clínica CCSS Dota · Santa María | 11 km | Map |
| Bank | Banco Nacional · Santa María | 11 km | Map |
| ATM | Banco Popular · Quepos | 22 km | Map |
| Petrol pump | Gasolinera Santa María · Santa María | 11 km | Map |
| Hotel | Cabanas Cecilia · Santa María | 10 km | Map |
| Mall | Centro Comercial Robles Jara · San Marcos | 13 km | Map |
| School | Escuela San Joaquín · San Lorenzo | 4.0 km | Map |
| College | UNED - Centro Universitario San Marcos · San Marcos | 14 km | Map |
| Police station | Delegación Cantonal de Policía de Dota · Santa María | 11 km | Map |

Source: Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

Straight-line distance from the centre of the division, within 40 km.

## Hospitals, banks and other services in Santa María

Places mapped inside Santa María in open map data, by type.
- Hospitals 1
- Banks 1
- Petrol pumps 1
- Hotels 3
- Schools 4
- Pharmacies 1
- Restaurants 9
- Police stations 1

Source: Overture Maps places (CDLA-Permissive-2.0) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

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

## Other districts in Dota Canton
- Copey
- Jardín

## Quick answers
- Where is Santa María? In Dota Canton, San José Province, Costa Rica
- What is the population of Santa María? 5,216 (2021 estimate)
- What is the median age in Santa María? About 30 years (2021 estimate)
- What is the population density of Santa María? About 56 people per km²
- What borders Santa María? Copey, Jardín, Río Nuevo, San Lorenzo and San Marcos
- What is there to see in Santa María? Café Solís y Cordero, Dota, Monumento a los Caídos de la Guerra Civil de 1948
- What time zone is Santa María in? UTC−6
- What currency is used in Santa María? Colon (CRC)
- What language is spoken in Santa María? Spanish, English (main languages nationally)
- How many villages are in Santa María? 25 named settlements (GeoNames, OpenStreetMap)
- What is the elevation of Santa María? Settlements lie between 1,334 m and 1,973 m
- What is the highest point in Santa María? Cerro Camorra (2,096 m, GeoNames elevation model)
- What is the best time to visit Santa María? January to March
- Where is the nearest hospital to Santa María? Clínica CCSS Dota, about 11 km from the centre
- Where is the nearest bank to Santa María? Banco Nacional, about 11 km from the centre
- Where is the nearest ATM to Santa María? Banco Popular, about 22 km from the centre
- Where is the nearest petrol pump to Santa María? Gasolinera Santa María, about 11 km from the centre
- How many hospitals are in Santa María? 1 mapped
- How many banks are in Santa María? 1 mapped
- How many petrol pumps are in Santa María? 1 mapped
- What is the P-code of Santa María? CR11701 (OCHA common operational dataset)

At a glance
- Type: District
- Area: 93.6 km²
- P-code: CR11701
- Canton: Dota Canton

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Canonical: https://wherepedia.org/costa-rica/san-jose/dota/santa-maria/ · Updated 2026-11-03 · Data: national censuses and statistics offices (sources named in each section); © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL); Overture Maps; GeoNames; NASA POWER.