Liberia is the capital and largest city of Guanacaste province

Guanacaste Province

Guanacaste is a province of Costa Rica located in the northwestern part of the country, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. To the north it borders Nicaragua. To the east is the Alajuela Province, and to the southeast is the Puntarenas Province. It is the most sparsely populated of all the...

, Costa Rica

Costa Rica

Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....

, located 215 kilometres (133.6 mi) northwest of the national capital, San José

San José, Costa Rica

San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica. Located in the Central Valley, San José is the seat of national government, the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub of this Central American nation.Founded in 1738 by order of Cabildo de León, San...

.

Summary

With more than 35,000 inhabitants, Liberia is the regional hub of the Costa Rican northwest. The city center features a modern church, as many Costa Rican towns do, facing a plaza

Plaza

Plaza is a Spanish word related to "field" which describes an open urban public space, such as a city square. All through Spanish America, the plaza mayor of each center of administration held three closely related institutions: the cathedral, the cabildo or administrative center, which might be...

 surrounded by locally-owned shops and restaurant

Restaurant

A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...

s. Liberia is also home to an expo that takes place in the month of July, celebrating the annexation of Guanacaste Province on 25 July 1824.

Tourists pass through Liberia en route to Pacific Coast beaches such as Playa del Coco

Playa del Coco

Playas del Coco is one of the oldest beach communities in Costa Rica. Playas del Coco is the oldest coastal community in Guanacaste Province. This area is also one of the fastest growing tourism areas in all of Costa Rica. It has long been one of the most popular tourist destinations of not only...

, Playa Hermosa, Playa Tamarindo or the Papagayo Peninsula. An African safari attraction or zoo called "Africa Mia" is 4 kilometers south of town. The Museo de Sabanero

Museo de Sabanero

The Museo de Sabanero is a museum in Liberia, Costa Rica. The museum focuses on cowboy culture in the country.It is located in the Casa de Culture, a colonial-era house...

 is also located in Liberia.

The Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport

Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport

Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport , also known as Liberia International Airport, is one of the four international airports in Costa Rica. The airport is located in the city of Liberia in Guanacaste Province. It serves specially as a tourism hub, for those who visit the Pacific coast and...

 is six kilometres (four miles) west of the city, following the road to Nicoya

Nicoya

Nicoya is a town in Costa Rica's Guanacaste province, and one of its most important tourist zones. It serves as a transport hub to Guanacaste's beaches and national parks. According to the 2000 census, the city's population was 13,334—second only to Liberia in the province...

. This is the second international airport in the country, after the Juan Santamaría International Airport

Juan Santamaría International Airport

Juan Santamaría International Airport is located in Alajuela Province, about from downtown San José, Costa Rica. It is a hub airport for TACA/Lacsa, and focus city airport for Copa Airlines. It is named after Costa Rica's national hero Juan Santamaría, a courageous drummer boy who died in 1856...

 in San José, and serves a variety of cities in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, as well as London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

.

Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park

Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park

Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park, in Spanish , part of the Guanacaste Conservation Area and the Area de Conservación Guanacaste World Heritage Site, is a National Park in the northwestern part of Costa Rica which encompasses the Rincón de la Vieja and Santa María volcanoes, as well as the...

 is located just to the northeast of Liberia. Volcanic

Volcano

2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...

 hot springs, bubbling clay pots, and numerous waterfall

Waterfall

A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...

s and river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

s may be found along the park's many kilometres of hiking trails. Hot springs are also located to the southeast of Liberia along the west slopes of Miravalles volcano.

The Liberia River

Liberia River

The Liberia River is a river in the northwestern Guanacaste Province of Costa Rica. It rises on the slopes of Rincón de la Vieja Volcano in the Cordillera Central and follows a southwesterly course to the town of Liberia....

 bears the same name as the town.

Climate

Notable people

• José Carlos Sáenz Esquivel
  José Carlos Sáenz Esquivel
  José Carlos Sáenz Esquivel was a Costa Rican politician and lawyer.-Personal life:Jose Carlos Esquivel Sáenz, was born in Liberia, Costa Rica on May 19, 1861. The son of Vicente Sáenz Llorente and Marcelina Esquivel y Fernández, he married Úrsula Celina Herrera y Paut, daughter of José Ana...