Liberia, Costa Rica

Liberia
Images, from top down, left to right: Immaculate Church of Concepcion de Maria, Central Park, Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport, the Chorotega, Mario Cañas Ruiz Park Monument.
Motto(s): 
De la patria por nuestra voluntad  (Spanish)
"From The Homeland Out of Our Own Will"
Interactive map of Liberia
Liberia
Location of Liberia within Costa Rica
Coordinates: 10°38′N 85°26′W / 10.633°N 85.433°W / 10.633; -85.433
CountryCosta Rica
ProvinceGuanacaste
CantonLiberia
Founded1836
Area
 • Total
561.57 km2 (216.82 sq mi)
Elevation
144 m (472 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total
53,382
 • Density95.058/km2 (246.20/sq mi)
DemonymLiberiano
Time zoneUTC−06:00
Postal code
50101

Liberia (Spanish pronunciation: [li.ˈβe.ɾja]) is a district and the largest city in the Guanacaste Province of Costa Rica, 215 kilometres (134 mi) northwest of the national capital, San José. Part of the Liberia canton, it is a major center of the country's tourism industry.

Liberia has been nicknamed la ciudad blanca (the white city) due to the white gravel that was once used to make the city's roads and the whitewashed colonial houses that used to make up a large part of the city. It had a population of 56,899 in 2013.