Playa Zancudo

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Playa Zancudo
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pushpin_map_caption =Location in Costa Rica
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_type1 = Province
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subdivision_name1 = Puntarenas Province
subdivision_type2 = Canton
subdivision_name2 = Golfito Canton
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population_total = 450
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Playa Zancudo (Mosquito Beach) is a village in Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica near the Golfo Dulce. It has a population of approximately 450.cite web |url=http://www.zancudo.com |title=About Playa Zancudo |accessdate=2008-06-04 |publisher=Cabinas Sol Y Mar |date= ]

Geography

It is located 95 kilometers south of Golfito.cite book |title=Frommer's Comprehensive Travel Guide: Costa Rica |last=Samson |first=Karl |authorlink= |coauthors=Jane Aukshunas |year=1994 |publisher=Simon & Schuster, Inc.|location= |isbn=0671883682 |pages=p.201 ] Zancudo is located on a long and narrow peninsula, sometime only 100 yards wide, at the mouth of the Rio Colorado. 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. 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. 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.

History

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

Transport

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

References