Limón

Limón (Spanish pronunciation: [liˈmon]), also known as Puerto Limón, is the capital city of both the province and canton of the same name. One of Costa Rica's seven "middle cities" (i.e., main cities outside of San José's Greater Metropolitan Area), Limón has a population of 100,532, which made it, as of 2025, the most-populous city in the country outside of the Greater Metropolitan Area and the second most-populous district in the nation.

Founded in 1854 by Philipp J. J. Valentini and officially established as a district in 1870 during the Liberal State, Limón is the only planned city in the country built in the 19th century. Located in the Caribbean coast, its purpose was to become the country's main port, a role the city still retains to this day, given its strategic location in the Caribbean Sea, close to the Panama Canal, to connect Costa Rica with North America, South America, the Caribbean, and Europe. The Moín Container Terminal, operated by Dutch-based APM Terminals, and the nearby Port of Moín, operated by the state-institution JAPDEVA, serve as the main economic ports for the country. The Port of Limón, located just South downtown, receives both cargo and cruise ships, though plans to convert it into a passenger terminal are underway.

The city is of historical significance for the country, as it was one of Christopher Columbus' moorings during his fourth and last voyage. On 25 September 1502, Colón recalls landing on a town named by the locals as Cariay, with the nearby Quiribrí island just offshore.

Today, Limón is recognized as one of Costa Rica's most culturally and racially diverse cities. It is one of the main communities of Afro-Costa Ricans in the country, mainly as a result of people of Jamaican descent arriving for the construction of the Atlantic railroad in the country, and a subsequent travel ban from the central government, which limited people of Afro-Caribbean origin to move outside of the Limón Province. Aside from Spanish, the Afro-Costa Rican community also speaks the English-based Limonese Creole.

Limón faces numerous problems, with the main one being the skyrocketing crime, as drug cartels confluence in the city due to its port being an important part of their drug-trafficking schemes, resulting in an alarming murder rate.