NICOYA PENINSULA

Spanish Pennsula de Nicoya peninsula in western Costa Rica that is bounded on the west and south by the Pacific Ocean, on the northeast by the Cordillera de Guanacaste, and on the southeast by the Gulf of Nicoya. Costa Rica's largest peninsula, Nicoya measures about 85 miles (140 km) northwestsoutheast and 40 to 60 miles (65 to 96 km) southwestnortheast. The base of the peninsula lies in the arid Guanacaste lowlands, but in the central and southern parts a range of mountains rises abruptly to over 3,000 feet (900 m). Descendants of the pre-Columbian Chorotega-Mangues Indians are still found in villages on the peninsula, but their original Mexican language has been totally replaced by Spanish. There is some mining of gold in the north. Nicoya, the principal townas well as the other main villages on the peninsulais linked by highway to Liberia, capital of Guanacaste province.