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. 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 4,301,712 as of the last census (2011). The largest canton by population is the capital San José (pictured) with a population of 288,054. The smallest canton by population is Turrubares with 5,512 residents. (Full list...)