Parrita is a canton and its only district in the Puntarenas province of Costa Rica.

Toponymy

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.

History

Parrita was created on 5 July 1971 by decree 4787. 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.

Geography

Parrita has an area of 478.79 km2 and a mean elevation of 4 metres. 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.

Districts

The canton of Parrita is subdivided into only one district, occupying the same area as the whole canton:

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, Parrita had a population of 16,115 inhabitants.

Transportation

Road transportation

The canton is covered by the following road routes: • CR RNP 34.svg National Route 34 • CR RNS 239.svg National Route 239 • CR RNT 301.svg National Route 301 • CR RNT 318.svg National Route 318 • CR RNT 607.svg National Route 607 • CR RNT 609.svg National Route 609