Playa Zancudo

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Playa Zancudo
Country Costa Rica
Province Puntarenas Province
Canton Golfito Canton
Population
 - Total 450

Playa Zancudo (Mosquito Beach) is a village in Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica near the Golfo Dulce. It has a population of approximately 450.[1]

Contents

[edit] Geography

It is located 95 kilometers south of Golfito.[2] Zancudo is located on a long and narrow peninsula, sometime only 100 yards wide, at the mouth of the Rio Colorado.[2] On one side of the peninsula is Zancudo's beach, protected from the full force of Pacific waves, while the other is home to a mangrove swamp.[2] The whole beach is 6 miles long, with the southern three miles of it having jungle and farmland on the east side and most of the town being located within the northernmost mile.[1] The town of Playa Zancudo contains a school, several churches, a soccer field, some Tico restaurants and bars, three sportfishing areas, and a general store.[1]

[edit] History

The area around Golfito's port was developed by the United Fruit Company in the 1930s.[1] While this was happening, excess bananas that washed down the Rio Coto river came upon Playa Zancudo's beaches.[1] During this time, pig farms thrived on the leftover bananas.[1] Gringos began moving to Zancudo in the 1980s, with the rise in foreign settlement aiding the demise of pig farming in Zancudo.[1]

[edit] Transport

The nearest airport is in Golfito.[2] There is a dirt road located on the island upon which the inhabitants reside.[2]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g About Playa Zancudo. Cabinas Sol Y Mar. Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
  2. ^ a b c d e Samson, Karl; Jane Aukshunas (1994). Frommer's Comprehensive Travel Guide: Costa Rica. Simon & Schuster, Inc., p.201. ISBN 0671883682.