Guanacaste (Spanish pronunciation: [ɡwanaˈkaste]) is a province of Costa Rica located in the northwestern part of the country, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. it borders Nicaragua to the north. To the east there is the Alajuela Province, and to the southeast is the Puntarenas Province. It is the most sparsely populated of all the provinces of Costa Rica. The province covers an area of 10,141 km2 (3,915 sq mi) and as of 2010, had a population of 354,154. Guanacaste's capital is Liberia. Other important cities include Cañas and Nicoya.