NICOYA, GULF OF

Spanish Golfo De Nicoya, inlet that indents the west-central part of the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. The inlet extends northward and northwestward from Cape Blanco and Judas Point for about 50 miles (80 km). Cape Blanco, on the Nicoya Peninsula, and Judas Point, on the mainland, are about 25 miles (40 km) apart, but the gulf narrows to a width of approximately 15 miles (24 km) farther northward. The Tempisque, Abangares, and Trcoles rivers empty into the gulf. It has several islands, most notably Chira, the largest, and San Lucas. The largest town and port of the many settlements on the shores of the gulf is Puntarenas, on the east.