Limón
Encyclopedia
Puerto Limón, commonly known as Limón (Spanish for "lemon"), is the capital city and main hub of Limón province
, as well as of the cantón (county) of Limón in Costa Rica
. It has a population of about 60,000 (including surrounding towns), and is home to a thriving Afro-Caribbean community. Part of the community traces its roots to Jamaican laborers who worked on a late nineteenth-century railroad project that connected San José to Puerto Limón. Other parts of the population trace their roots to the Nicaraguan, Panamanian, and Colombian turtle-hunters who eventually settled along the Province of Limón's coast. Until 1948, the Costa Rican government did not recognize Afro-Caribbean people as citizens and restricted their movement outside Limón province. As a result of this "travel ban", this Afro-Caribbean population became firmly established in the region, which influenced the decision to not move even after it was legally permitted. The Afro-Caribbean community speaks Spanish and Mekatelyu, a creole
of English.
Puerto Limón contains two port terminals, Limón
and Moín, which permit the shipment of Costa Rican exports (primarily banana) as well as the anchoring of cruise ships. A small island, Uvita Island
, is just offshore.
, arrived at Portete, a small bay between Limón and Moín, in 1666. They proceeded inland to Cartago
, the capital of Costa Rica at the time, but were driven away by the inhabitants at Turrialba on 15 April. The pirate army left on 16 April and arrived back in Portete on 23 April. They left Costa Rica and did not return.
under government auspices.
Born in Jamaica, (1887–1940), his grandfather was a mason named William Garvey (c. 1805–1891); his father was Mosiah Garvey; and they lived in a property William had bought at Winder Hills, next to St. Ann Bay, where he lived until manhood.
In 1910, he travelled to different countries in the Caribbean, Central and South America, and Europe—including Puerto Limón, where he worked as a time-keeper for the United Fruit Company
for some months, observing how in all places he went, the black population suffered poor conditions. Once ready, he travelled to Jamaica, arriving on 15 July 1914. Five days later, he founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and the African Communities (Imperial) League.
first anchored off Limón's coast in 1502, on his fourth voyage
. The event was started by local community leader and activist, Alfred Josiah Henry Smith (known as "Mister King"), who helped organize the first carnaval in October 1949. The event stretches about a week (across two weekends), and includes a parade, food, music, dancing, and, on the last night, a concert in the Parque Vargas headlined by a major Latino or Caribbean music act. Previous artists have included Eddy Herrera
(2002), Damian Marley
(2003), El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico (2005), and T.O.K.
(2006).
Although the show goes on rain or shine, the event has recently suffered some setbacks. Organizers cancelled carnaval in 2007 due to a major dengue outbreak, and again in 2008 due to major municipal trash-removal issues and related health worries. While trash removal had long been an issue due to lack of trucks and a 62-mile haul to the nearest landfill (in Pococí), the ordered closure of this and other landfills in 2007 meant Puerto Limón had to send trash 135 miles to Alajuela and pay a higher disposal fee. The situation led to a bottle-neck in trash removal, which, combined with the major dengue breakout, caused organizers to cancel 2008's carnaval as a precautionary measure. Given the severity of the situation, the city bought land in nearby Santa Rosa and, in April 2009, opened its own landfill (called El Tomatal). Given the improved situation, carnaval picked up in 2009 after its two-year hiatus.
under Koppen’s climate classification
. Average temperatures are relatively consistent throughout the year averaging around 25 degrees Celsius. Common to all cities with this climate, Limón has no discernable dry season
. It’s driest month (September) averages roughly 160 mm of precipitation while the wettest month (December) averages just above 400 mm of rain. Limon averages nearly 3,400 mm of precipitation annually.
.
Limón Province
Limón is one of seven provinces in Costa Rica. The majority of its territory is situated in the country's Caribbean lowlands, though the southwestern portion houses part of an extensive mountain range known as the Cordillera de Talamanca...
, as well as of the cantón (county) of Limón in 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....
. It has a population of about 60,000 (including surrounding towns), and is home to a thriving Afro-Caribbean community. Part of the community traces its roots to Jamaican laborers who worked on a late nineteenth-century railroad project that connected San José to Puerto Limón. Other parts of the population trace their roots to the Nicaraguan, Panamanian, and Colombian turtle-hunters who eventually settled along the Province of Limón's coast. Until 1948, the Costa Rican government did not recognize Afro-Caribbean people as citizens and restricted their movement outside Limón province. As a result of this "travel ban", this Afro-Caribbean population became firmly established in the region, which influenced the decision to not move even after it was legally permitted. The Afro-Caribbean community speaks Spanish and Mekatelyu, a creole
Creole language
A creole language, or simply a creole, is a stable natural language developed from the mixing of parent languages; creoles differ from pidgins in that they have been nativized by children as their primary language, making them have features of natural languages that are normally missing from...
of English.
Puerto Limón contains two port terminals, Limón
Port of Limón
The Portuary Terminal of Limón , adjacent to the namesake city, is one of the seaports in the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica....
and Moín, which permit the shipment of Costa Rican exports (primarily banana) as well as the anchoring of cruise ships. A small island, Uvita Island
Uvita Island
Uvita Island, or Isla Uvita, is a small island in Costa Rica about 1,200 yards off the coast of Limón in the Caribbean Sea. The island is about 400 yards long from north to south and about 250 yards wide....
, is just offshore.
Pirates
Notorious pirates, Edward Mansvelt and and his vice admiral Henry MorganHenry Morgan
Admiral Sir Henry Morgan was an Admiral of the Royal Navy, a privateer, and a pirate who made a name for himself during activities in the Caribbean, primarily raiding Spanish settlements...
, arrived at Portete, a small bay between Limón and Moín, in 1666. They proceeded inland to Cartago
Cartago, Costa Rica
- See also :* Cartago Agrarian Union Party* Provincial Integration Party Three* Cartago in Spanish...
, the capital of Costa Rica at the time, but were driven away by the inhabitants at Turrialba on 15 April. The pirate army left on 16 April and arrived back in Portete on 23 April. They left Costa Rica and did not return.
Founding
The town was officially founded in 1854 by Philipp J. J. ValentiniPhilipp J. J. Valentini
Philipp Johann Joseph Valentini was an explorer and archaeologist of the Central American Pre-Columbian cultures. He worked extensively on diciphering the Mexican calendar stone.- Life :...
under government auspices.
Marcus Mosiah Garvey
Marcus Mosiah Garvey was the first negro leader to think of pan-Africanism as a solution to the living conditions of the black population in the Americas. Prior to him, black leaders like Prince Hall, Martin Delany, Edward Wilmot Blyden, Henry Highland Garnet and Frederick Douglass had fought to achieve better social and economical conditions for the black population.Born in Jamaica, (1887–1940), his grandfather was a mason named William Garvey (c. 1805–1891); his father was Mosiah Garvey; and they lived in a property William had bought at Winder Hills, next to St. Ann Bay, where he lived until manhood.
In 1910, he travelled to different countries in the Caribbean, Central and South America, and Europe—including Puerto Limón, where he worked as a time-keeper for the United Fruit Company
United Fruit Company
It had a deep and long-lasting impact on the economic and political development of several Latin American countries. Critics often accused it of exploitative neocolonialism and described it as the archetypal example of the influence of a multinational corporation on the internal politics of the...
for some months, observing how in all places he went, the black population suffered poor conditions. Once ready, he travelled to Jamaica, arriving on 15 July 1914. Five days later, he founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and the African Communities (Imperial) League.
Districts
Limón is divided into four districts which are in turn subdivided into pueblos and poblados (neighbourhoods and villages).| Limón Canton | ||
| Districts (Distritos) | Neighbourhoods (Pueblos) | Villages (Poblados) |
| 1. Limón | Bellavista, Bohío, Bosque, Cangrejos, Cariari, Cerro Mocho, Cielo Amarillo, Cristóbal Colón o Cieneguita, Corales (1, 2 and 3), Cruce, Fortín, Hospital, Laureles, Limóncito, Moín, Piuta, Portete, Pueblo Nuevo, Roosevelt, San Juan, Santa Eduviges, Trinidad, Veracruz, Colina, Ceibón, Pacuare | Buenos Aires, Cocal, Dos Bocas, Empalme Moin, Milla Nueve, Santa Rosa |
| 2. Valle La Estrella | Alsacia, Armenia, Atalanta, Boca Río Estrella, Bocuare, Bonifacio, Buenavista, Burrico, Calveri, Casa Amarilla, Cerere, Colonia, Concepciòn, Cuen, Chirripó Abajo, Duruy, Fortuna, Guaria, Hueco, I Griega, Loras, Miramar, Nanabre, Nubes, Penshurt, Pleyades, Provenir, Progreso, Río Ley, Río Seco, San Andrés, San Carlos, San Clemente, San Rafael, Talía, Tobruk, Tuba Creek, Valle Las Rosas, Vesta | |
| 3. Río Blanco | Liverpool | Brisas, Búfalo, México, Milla 9, Miravalles, Río Blanco, Río Cedro, Río Madre, Río Quito, Sandoval, Santa Rita, Victoria |
| 4. Matama | Bomba | Aguas Zarcas, Asuncióm, Bananito Norte, Bananito Sur, Bearesem, Beverley, Calle Tranvía, Castillo Nuevo, Dondonia, Filadelfia Norte, Filadelfia Sur, Kent, Manú, María Luisa, Mountain Cow, Polonia, Quitaría, Tigre, Trébol, Wesfalia |
Celebrations
Puerto Limón is famous in Costa Rica for its yearly fall festival called carnaval which occurs the week of 12 October, the date ColumbusChristopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
first anchored off Limón's coast in 1502, on his fourth voyage
Voyages of Christopher Columbus
In the early modern period, the voyages of Columbus initiated European exploration and colonization of the American continents, and are thus of great significance in world history. Christopher Columbus was a navigator and an admiral for Castile, a country that later founded modern Spain...
. The event was started by local community leader and activist, Alfred Josiah Henry Smith (known as "Mister King"), who helped organize the first carnaval in October 1949. The event stretches about a week (across two weekends), and includes a parade, food, music, dancing, and, on the last night, a concert in the Parque Vargas headlined by a major Latino or Caribbean music act. Previous artists have included Eddy Herrera
Eddy Herrera
Eddy Jose Herrera de los Rios, also known as Eddy Herrera, is a merengue singer and winner of more than seven Casandra Awards. Born on 30 April 1964 in the Dominican Republic, in the city of Santiago de Los Caballeros.-History :...
(2002), Damian Marley
Damian Marley
Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley is a Jamaican reggae artist who has won three Grammy awards. Damian is the youngest son of Bob Marley....
(2003), El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico (2005), and T.O.K.
T.O.K.
T.O.K. is a dancehall group hailing from Kingston, Jamaica. The group consists of Alistaire "Alex" McCalla, Roshaun "Bay-C" Clarke, Craig "Craigy T" Thompson, and Xavier "Flexx" Davidson...
(2006).
Although the show goes on rain or shine, the event has recently suffered some setbacks. Organizers cancelled carnaval in 2007 due to a major dengue outbreak, and again in 2008 due to major municipal trash-removal issues and related health worries. While trash removal had long been an issue due to lack of trucks and a 62-mile haul to the nearest landfill (in Pococí), the ordered closure of this and other landfills in 2007 meant Puerto Limón had to send trash 135 miles to Alajuela and pay a higher disposal fee. The situation led to a bottle-neck in trash removal, which, combined with the major dengue breakout, caused organizers to cancel 2008's carnaval as a precautionary measure. Given the severity of the situation, the city bought land in nearby Santa Rosa and, in April 2009, opened its own landfill (called El Tomatal). Given the improved situation, carnaval picked up in 2009 after its two-year hiatus.
Climate
Limón features a tropical rainforest climateTropical rainforest climate
A tropical rainforest climate, also known as an equatorial climate, is a tropical climate usually found along the equator...
under Koppen’s climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
. Average temperatures are relatively consistent throughout the year averaging around 25 degrees Celsius. Common to all cities with this climate, Limón has no discernable dry season
Dry season
The dry season is a term commonly used when describing the weather in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which oscillates from the northern to the southern tropics over the course of the year...
. It’s driest month (September) averages roughly 160 mm of precipitation while the wettest month (December) averages just above 400 mm of rain. Limon averages nearly 3,400 mm of precipitation annually.
Airport
Limón is served by the Pablo Zidar International Airport , IATA code LIO, an airstrip which is 1,800m long by 30m wide, 2m above sea level, on the coast south of the city. The Presidency Ministry announced in June 2011 that Sansa Airlines would begin regular scheduled flights four times a week to Limón Airport, beginning in July and costing ₡30,000–₡75,000 ($60–$150), to increase tourism to Limón ProvinceLimón Province
Limón is one of seven provinces in Costa Rica. The majority of its territory is situated in the country's Caribbean lowlands, though the southwestern portion houses part of an extensive mountain range known as the Cordillera de Talamanca...
.