Upala District
History
Upala was granted the title of "ciudad" (city) by a law of May 4, 1970.
Geography
Upala has an area of 148.65 km and an elevation of 48 metres.
It is in the northwest corner of the San Carlos Plain (Llanura de San Carlos) in northern Costa Rica, 76 kilometers (47 mi) southeast of La Cruz, 124 kilometers (77 mi) northwest of Ciudad Quesada, 195 kilometers (121 mi) from the provincial capital city of Alajuela, and 214 kilometers (133 mi) from the national capital city of San José.
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 10,001 | — |
| 1973 | 5,492 | −5.82% |
| 1984 | 7,008 | +2.24% |
| 2000 | 12,372 | +3.62% |
| 2011 | 16,139 | +2.45% |
| 2022 | 14,154 | −1.19% |
| Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos Centro Centroamericano de Población | ||
For the 2011 census, Upala had a population of 16,139 inhabitants.
Transportation
Road transportation
The district is covered by the following road routes:
National Route 4
National Route 6
National Route 138
National Route 164
National Route 728
National Route 729
National Route 730
National Route 731
Economy
Upala is a supply center for cattle ranchers and rice growers in the area. A hospital, bank, medical clinic, pharmacy and gas station are here. There is a busy commercial marketplace in the town center where vendors sell fruits, vegetables and a wide array of other home-grown products. Several small restaurants share the market area, and there are other restaurants and a few places to stay in the town.
Nearby places of interest
Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge: a watery lowland of lush sloughs and marshes, a seasonal lake, and abundant wildlife. The area is a birdwatcher's paradise. (37 kilometers (23 mi) east of Upala via Highway 4 to Colonia Puntarenas and Highway 138 to Caño Negro)
Climate
This area typically has a pronounced dry season. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Upala has a tropical savanna climate, abbreviated "Aw" on climate maps.
| Climate data for Upala | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30.6 (87.1) |
31.3 (88.3) |
33.1 (91.6) |
34.0 (93.2) |
34.0 (93.2) |
32.8 (91.0) |
31.8 (89.2) |
32.4 (90.3) |
32.5 (90.5) |
32.1 (89.8) |
31.1 (88.0) |
30.6 (87.1) |
32.2 (90.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 24.4 (75.9) |
24.6 (76.3) |
25.7 (78.3) |
26.4 (79.5) |
26.9 (80.4) |
26.8 (80.2) |
26.3 (79.3) |
26.5 (79.7) |
26.5 (79.7) |
26.2 (79.2) |
25.4 (77.7) |
24.7 (76.5) |
25.9 (78.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 18.2 (64.8) |
17.9 (64.2) |
18.2 (64.8) |
18.7 (65.7) |
19.8 (67.6) |
20.8 (69.4) |
20.7 (69.3) |
20.7 (69.3) |
20.5 (68.9) |
20.4 (68.7) |
19.7 (67.5) |
18.9 (66.0) |
19.5 (67.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 111.1 (4.37) |
68.0 (2.68) |
38.2 (1.50) |
53.4 (2.10) |
185.1 (7.29) |
325.3 (12.81) |
322.0 (12.68) |
317.9 (12.52) |
281.0 (11.06) |
283.9 (11.18) |
227.9 (8.97) |
185.2 (7.29) |
2,399 (94.45) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 16 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 24 | 23 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 204 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 86.8 | 82.6 | 78.0 | 76.2 | 82.0 | 87.9 | 88.8 | 88.7 | 87.2 | 87.5 | 88.2 | 88.1 | 85.2 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 155.0 | 163.9 | 207.7 | 186.0 | 158.1 | 117.0 | 89.9 | 108.5 | 117.0 | 130.2 | 123.0 | 127.1 | 1,683.4 |
| Mean daily sunshine hours | 5.0 | 5.8 | 6.7 | 6.2 | 5.1 | 3.9 | 2.9 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.6 |
| Source: Instituto Meteorologico Nacional (precipitation 1963–2012, temperatures 1990–2013, sun 1984–1995, humidity 1989–2013) | |||||||||||||
References
- ^ "Declara oficial para efectos administrativos, la aprobación de la División Territorial Administrativa de la República N°41548-MGP". Sistema Costarricense de Información Jurídica (in Spanish). 19 March 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- ^ División Territorial Administrativa de la República de Costa Rica (PDF) (in Spanish). Editorial Digital de la Imprenta Nacional. 8 March 2017. ISBN 978-9977-58-477-5.
- ^ "Área en kilómetros cuadrados, según provincia, cantón y distrito administrativo". Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- ^ "Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos" (in Spanish).
- ^ Centro Centroamericano de Población de la Universidad de Costa Rica. "Sistema de Consulta a Bases de Datos Estadísticas" (in Spanish).
- ^ "Censo. 2011. Población total por zona y sexo, según provincia, cantón y distrito". Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- ^ Climate Summary for Upala
- ^ "Descripción del clima: Cantón de Upala" (in Spanish). Instituto Meteorologico Nacional. Archived from the original on 31 October 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
 Districts of Alajuela Province | |
|---|---|
| Alajuela | |
| San Ramón | |
| Grecia | |
| San Mateo | |
| Atenas | |
| Naranjo | |
| Palmares | |
| Poás | |
| Orotina | |
| San Carlos | |
| Zarcero | |
| Sarchí | |
| Upala | |
| Los Chiles | |
| Guatuso | |
| Río Cuarto | |
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