Palmares de Alajuela

Palmares is the capital city of the canton of Palmares in the province of Alajuela in Costa Rica. It is also the name of the distrito (district) that includes the city. The district of Palmares covers an area of 1.09 km [Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN), 2001.] , and has a population of 4,416 [Estimates of Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INEC), May 2003.] .

The city lies at an elevation of 1,017 meters above sea level (1) in the Central Valley (Valle Central), 6 kilometers southeast of the city of San Ramón, 38 kilometers northwest of the provincial capital city of Alajuela, and 56 kilometers from the national capital city of San Jose.

During January the city hosts their 'Fiestas', a large fair organized by a local committee which have become along with Zapote in December, and Liberia in July, one of the largest fairs in the country. This fair lasts for two weeks, with two days of special note: the 'Tope' (a massive horseback riding parade through town) and the 'Carnaval' (carnival); it is said that during these days you can find over 500,000 people in Palmares. It also ranks 2nd in most beer drunk in a yearly festival(after Oktoberfest)

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