{"document_url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atenas_(canton)"}
Canton in Alajuela province, Costa Rica
Canton in Alajuela, Costa Rica
Atenas is a canton in the Alajuela province of Costa Rica.

Toponymy

It is named for the ancient city of Athens in Greece as rendered in Spanish.

History

Atenas was created on 7 August 1868 by decree 30.

Geography

Atenas has an area of 127.19 km2 and a mean elevation of 706 metres.

It is a fairly compact canton, mountainous for the most part. The Grande River forms the border on the canton's north and east sides. As the river moves south, it is joined by two other large rivers, the Poás River and the Virilla River, before turning west again and forming the canton's southern border under a new name, the Grande de Tárcoles River. The western border of the canton is established by a series of creeks and their canyons that cut through the Coastal Mountain Range.

Districts

The canton of Atenas is subdivided into the following districts:

Demographics

For the 2011 census, Atenas had a population of 25,460 inhabitants.

Transportation

Road transportation

The canton is covered by the following road routes: