San José, the capital of Costa Rica since 1823, lies in the mountainous center of the country.
Situated on the Pan American Highway, San José has industries manufacturing textiles and furniture, and processing coffee, sugarcane, and cacao, which grow in the surrounding fertile valley.

San José has numerous parks and gardens, and its notable buildings include the Teatro Nacional (the national theater), a 19th-century cathedral, and a museum with pre-Columbian artifacts.

The city is the seat of the University of Costa Rica (1843). About 30 km (20 mi) northeast of San José is the volcano Irazú (3,432 m/11,260 ft). Settled in 1736, San José became an important tobacco manufacturing center in the second half of the 18th century.

San José is a province of Costa Rica. It is located in the central part of the country. It borders from the north clockwise the provinces Alajuela, Heredia, Cartago, Limón and Puntarenas. The capital is San José, which is also the capital of the country Costa Rica itself. The province covers an area of 4,960 km², and has a population of 1,345,750 (2000).

It is subdivided into 20 smaller districts called "Cantones". Here is the list of all the "Cantones" of the province of San Jose:

Aerial view of La Sabana park

Templo de la Musica