The Republic is divided into five Provinces and two Comarcas or Territories. Both are divided into Cantones, and the Cantones are subdivided into districts.
The Territories are represented in Congress in the same way as the Provinces.
Each Canton has a municipal organization popularly elected and a political chief named by the President.
In each of the Provinces or Territories there is a Governor, and a military commandant also named by the President, and a Judge of First Instance appointed by the Supreme Court.
Costa Rica, as soon as she became a member of the Central American Confederation, organized a judiciary of her own consisting of a superior court, several tribunals of first resort in the provinces, and the alcaldes of towns who were justices of the peace with jurisdiction over petty affairs both civil and criminal. The Supreme Court has since undergone many changes.
The Supreme Court is a Court of Law composed of five justices. Two Courts of second instance have three magistrates each.
In each of the Provinces and in the Comarca of Puntarenas there are judges having criminal and civil jurisdiction.
In the chief towns of each Canton the alcaldes act in civil cases of minor importance, and in criminal cases are judges of petty offenses, and for graver charges are committing magistrates.
In the districts the justices of the peace and the police are charged with maintaining the public peace and they act for small misdemeanors in a summary way.
For fiscal affairs there are an Inspector General of Hacienda, an alcalde of Hacienda, and a National Judge of Hacienda. There is also a special judge of mines residing at San Mateo.