ALAJUELA

Alajuela is the capital city of the province of Alajuela in Costa Rica. It is also the name of the district (distrito) that includes the city. Alajuela serves as the capital for the canton of Alajuela, an area much larger than the district.
The district of Alajuela covers an area of 8.88 km² (1), and has a population of 46,554 (2). It lies at an elevation of 952 meters above sea level (1) in the Central Valley (Valle Central), 19 kilometers northwest of the national capital city of San José.
Alajuela is the birthplace of Juan Santamaría, the national hero of Costa Rica. It hubs the Juan Santamaría International Airport, the main airport serving Costa Rica (IATA: SJO / ICAO: MROC), which is located 3 kilometers south of the city.
Alajuela is also the hometown of Liga Deportiva Alajuelense [football] club.

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References

(1) Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN), 2001.
(2) Estimates of Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INEC), May 2003.