Los Chiles is the 14th canton of the province of Alajuela, in Costa Rica, located in the northernmost sector of the Republic, on the border with Nicaragua. It measures 1358.67 km² and is divided into 4 districts. It limits to the north with the Republic of Nicaragua, to the west with Upala, to the east with San Carlos and to the south with Guatuso and San Carlos. It was founded on March 17,1970. Its head is the homonymous city of Los Chiles, located just four kilometers south of the border line, and about ten kilometers from the southeast shore of Lake Nicaragua, at its confluence with the river San Juan.
For the year 2012 it had a human development index of 0.671 according to the United Nations Development Program, one of the lowest among the cantons in the whole country. Los Chiles has a basically agricultural economy, based on the sowing of basic grains, vegetables and fattening cattle. Another source of income is boat tourism through the rivers of the River Frío basin. In Los Chiles is the Caño Negro National Wildlife Refuge, one of the most extensive and important wetlands in the country.