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Costa Rica is administratively divided into seven provinces which are subdivided into 81 cantons, and these are further subdivided into districts. Cantons are the only administrative division in Costa Rica that possess local government in the form of municipalities. Each municipality has its own mayor and several representatives, all of them chosen via municipal elections every four years.
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The original 14 cantons were established in 1848, and the number has risen gradually by the division of existing cantons. Law no. 4366 of 19 August 1969, which outlines the creation of administrative divisions of Costa Rica, states that new cantons may only be created if they have at least one percent of the republic's total population, which was 7006430171200000000♠4,301,712 as of the last census (2011). The last new canton, Garabito, was created on September 25, 1980.
The largest canton by population is the capital San José with a population of 7005288054000000000♠288,054. The smallest canton by population is Turrubares with 7003551200000000000♠5,512 residents. The largest canton by land area is San Carlos, which spans 3,347.98 km2 (1,292.66 sq mi), while the smallest is Flores at 6.96 km2 (2.69 sq mi).
Political structure
Each canton is controlled by a government unit called Municipalidad. The term reflects the fact that the cantons in Costa Rica have approximately the same function as municipios ("municipalities") in many other Spanish-speaking countries. This administrative unit consists of two bodies: a municipal executive (Concejo Municipal) and an executive body which only consists of a mayor (alcalde / alcaldesa municipal), a title that was introduced in 1998.
The mayor's main duties are to liaise with the municipal council, district councils and the entire administrative apparatus of the canton, and to approve and implement the decisions taken by the municipal council. The number of members of the municipal council varies from one canton to another, and they are elected by local elections held every four years. The head of the council is titled the municipal president (presidente municipal). The council's main task is to manage the canton at the local level, and is responsible for planning basic policies and establishing budgets. More specifically, the responsibilities include urban and agricultural planning and organizing cultural affairs, health care, education and industry. Each municipal president appoints a number of working commissions that deal with issues specific to the municipality.