Colorado, Pococí facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Colorado
District
Colorado Location in Costa Rica
Country	Costa Rica
Province	Limón
Canton	Pococí
Creation	2 July 1971
Area
• Total	1,158.91 km2 (447.46 sq mi)
Elevation	5 m (16 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	3,985
• Density	3.4386/km2 (8.9059/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−06:00
Postal code	70206

Colorado is a special area called a district in Costa Rica. It is part of the Pococí canton, which is in the Limón province. This district is located in the northeastern part of Costa Rica. It shares a border with Nicaragua and touches the Caribbean Sea.

The main town in Colorado is Barra del Colorado. It sits only about 5 meters (16 feet) above sea level. This town is right on the banks of the Colorado River. This river is an important branch of the San Juan River, which forms part of the border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

History of Colorado

Colorado was officially created on July 2, 1971. This happened through a special government decision. Before that, it was part of another area called Guápiles.

Geography of Colorado

Colorado covers a large area of about 1,159 square kilometers (447 square miles). This is almost half of the total area of the Pococí canton. Most of the land in Colorado is very flat, only about 5 meters (16 feet) above sea level.

Inside Colorado, you'll find Calero Island. It's about 151.6 square kilometers (58.5 square miles) and is the largest island in Costa Rica. Nearby is another important river island called Brava Island, which is about 44.4 square kilometers (17.1 square miles).

The land here is mostly flat plains, formed by rivers over time. There are a few small hills that stand out, like Coronel, Cocorí, and Tortuguero. The Tortuguero hill is the tallest at 119 meters (390 feet) above sea level.

A big part of Colorado is made up of protected wildlife areas. These include the Barra del Colorado Wildlife Refuge and the famous Tortuguero National Park. These areas are very important for protecting animals and plants.

Rivers and Waterways

Colorado gets a lot of rain, about 5,500 to 6,000 millimeters (216 to 236 inches) every year! This heavy rainfall often floods the flat land. The area is already very wet from the San Juan, Colorado, and Chirripó rivers in the north. In the south, the main rivers are the Suerre, Jiménez, and Parismina. These rivers feed into an artificial canal system called the Tortuguero Canals.

Because of all the rain and rivers, much of Colorado is covered by water. You'll find many rivers, small streams, canals, lagoons, and marshy areas here.

People of Colorado

According to the 2011 census, Colorado had a population of 3,985 people. This means it has one of the lowest population densities in Costa Rica. Not many people live in such a large area.

Towns and Villages

The Colorado district includes several small communities:

• Neighborhoods (Barrios): Barra del Colorado Este
• Villages (Poblados): Aragón, Buenavista, Malanga, San Gerardo, Tortuguero

Getting Around Colorado

Getting to and from Colorado is mostly done by boat or plane. There are not many roads in the area.

Road Travel

Even though there aren't many roads, the district is covered by two national road routes:

• National Route 247
• National Route 507

Canals for Boats

A long river canal, about 78 kilometers (48 miles) long, connects the southern part of Barra del Colorado to the Port of Moin. This canal runs along the Caribbean Sea coast and is very important for travel and transport.

Airport

There is also an airport in the area:

• Barra del Colorado Airport

Climate

Barra del Colorado has a very wet tropical rainforest climate. This means it gets a lot of rain all year round. From February to April, the rainfall is heavy. In the other months, it's even heavier!

See also

• In Spanish: Colorado (Pococí) para niños