La Unión (canton)

La Unión is a canton in the Cartago province of Costa Rica. The head city is in Tres Ríos district.

Toponymy
A story tells of a group of Spanish missionaries from a convent in Guatemala, arriving accompanied by Indians of different cultural groups. The small town they established was called La Unión, meaning The Union, to commemorate their friendliness and brotherhood.

History
La Unión was created on 7 December 1848 by decree 167.

Geography
La Unión has an area of 44.83 km2 and a mean elevation of 1,331 metres. La Unión is a compact canton situated midway between the national capital of San José and the former colonial capital city of Cartago.

Districts
The canton of La Unión is subdivided into the following districts:
 * 1) Tres Ríos
 * 2) San Diego
 * 3) San Juan
 * 4) San Rafael
 * 5) Concepción
 * 6) Dulce Nombre
 * 7) San Ramón
 * 8) Río Azul

Demographics
For the 2011 census, La Unión had a population of 99,399 inhabitants.

Education
The Lycée Franco Costaricien, a French international school, is in Concepción district.

Road transportation
The canton is covered by the following road routes: • CR RNP 2.svg National Route 2

• CR RNS 202.svg National Route 202

• CR RNS 221.svg National Route 221

• CR RNS 251.svg National Route 251

• CR RNT 409.svg National Route 409

Rail transportation
The Interurbano Line operated by Incofer goes through this canton.