ALAJUELA, a city in the state of Costa Rica, Central America, 23 miles W.N.W. from Cartago, and midway between it and the west coast. It is a place of considerable trade, and is connected by a mule road with the port of Puntas Arenas, the only good harbour possessed by Costa Rica on the Pacific Ocean. Some parts of the town are well built and beautifully situated; and the detached houses in the environs are embowered by trees and flowering shrubs. The sugar-cane is cultivated in the neighbourhood. Population, 12,575.