Parrita | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 9°32′50″N 84°20′47″W / 9.5471005°N 84.3464358°W | |
Country | Costa Rica |
Province | Puntarenas |
Creation | 5 July 1971[1] |
Head city | Parrita |
Districts | Districts |
Government | |
• Type | Municipality |
• Body | Municipalidad de Parrita |
Area | |
• Total | 478.79 km2 (184.86 sq mi) |
Elevation | 4 m (13 ft) |
Population (2011) | |
• Total | 16,115 |
• Density | 34/km2 (87/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC−06:00 |
Canton code | 609 |
Website | muniparrita |
Parrita is a canton and its only district in the Puntarenas province of Costa Rica.[2][3]
The origin of the name, it is said, has to do with a woman named Rita who lived in one of the original settlements. Rita had a business and received packages. "Es pa' Rita" (It's for Rita) was often heard so the canton was called Parrita.[citation needed]
Parrita was created on 5 July 1971 by decree 4787.[1]
Almost all of Costa Rican territory was inhabited before the arrival of the Spanish. The Huetars lived in this area. In 1924, a young German installed the first banana plantation near the Pirrís River (also called the Parrita River) which encouraged migration of people from San José and Guanacaste.
Parrita has an area of 478.79 km2[4] and a mean elevation of 4 metres.[2]
The canton lies along the central Pacific coast between the mouths of the Tusubres River and Damas River. Inland the canton is delineated by a series of rivers that meander through the valleys of the coastal mountain range.
The canton of Parrita is subdivided into only one district, occupying the same area as the whole canton:
Census | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
---|---|---|
1973 | 11,901 | — |
1984 | 9,774 | −1.77% |
2000 | 12,112 | +1.35% |
2011 | 16,115 | +2.63% |
2022 | 20,068 | +2.01% |
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos[5] Centro Centroamericano de Población[6] |
According to the 2011 census, Parrita had a population of 16,115 inhabitants.[7]
The canton is covered by the following road routes: