How this list was compiled: Items made on 2026-09-26; names, ids and accepted spellings are Natural Earth's. Licence: public domain (Natural Earth terms of use: https://www.naturalearthdata.com/about/terms-of-use/)
The drawing: Drawn for this site from Natural Earth 5.1.2, ne_10m_admin_1_states_provinces (scale 1:10,000,000), https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvkelso/natural-earth-vector/v5.1.2/geojson/ne_10m_admin_1_states_provinces.geojson, downloaded 2026-09-19. Surrounding land from Natural Earth 5.1.2, ne_10m_admin_0_countries (scale 1:10,000,000), https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvkelso/natural-earth-vector/v5.1.2/geojson/ne_10m_admin_0_countries.geojson, downloaded 2026-09-19. Capitals from Natural Earth 5.1.2, ne_10m_populated_places_simple (scale 1:10,000,000), https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvkelso/natural-earth-vector/v5.1.2/geojson/ne_10m_populated_places_simple.geojson, downloaded 2026-09-19. Lambert azimuthal equal-area projection centred on 9.7°N 84.2°W. Outlines simplified; small islands are left out. Licence: public domain (Natural Earth terms of use: https://www.naturalearthdata.com/about/terms-of-use/)
How it works
This Costa Rica outline map shows its seven provinces: Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limón, Puntarenas and San José. Switch Borders off for the plain outline of the country.
Read the full guide
Blank, numbered or named
The sheet opens blank. Choose Numbered to put a number on each of the 7 provinces of Costa Rica, or Named for their names, then press Print this map; the answer key prints on its own sheet.
Two coasts
Puntarenas, the largest province, runs along most of the Pacific coast; Limón holds the Caribbean coast. Heredia is the smallest. Cocos Island, part of Puntarenas 550 km out in the Pacific, is not drawn.
Have students colour the four provinces with no coast, San José, Alajuela, Heredia and Cartago, in one colour.
Guanacaste, in the north-west, borders Nicaragua and holds the Nicoya Peninsula. Start the Pacific coast there and work south to Panama.
Questions and answers
How many provinces does Costa Rica have?
Seven: Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limón, Puntarenas and San José. All seven are numbered here.
Which is the largest province?
Puntarenas, along the Pacific coast, followed by Guanacaste in the north-west. Heredia is the smallest.
Which province is the capital in?
San José, in the Central Valley. The city of San José is the capital of both the province and the country.