Liberia is the first canton of the province of Guanacaste. It emerged in the second half of the 18th century, on September 4,1769, with the name of the town of Guanacaste, as a result of the establishment of a parish aid on its site, although without legal act of foundation. According to the 2011 National Census, the population of the canton was 67,463 inhabitants, of which 10.2% were born abroad. The same census highlights that there were 16,577 occupied homes, of which 64.5% were in good condition and there were problems of overcrowding in 8.8% of the homes.82.0% of its inhabitants lived in urban areas. Among other data, the level of literacy in the canton is 97.7%, with an average schooling of 8.8 years.
The canton has an area of 1567.67 km² and a human development index of 0.768 cataloged as high. The city of Liberia is located approximately 4 hours from the capital of Costa Rica, San José. It is often called the "White City" because in the past its streets were made of "gravel," a powdery, whitish material.