Puntarenas () is a city in the
Puntarenas canton
Puntarenas is a canton in the Puntarenas province of Costa Rica. The head city is Puntarenas.
History
Puntarenas was created on 7 December 1848 by decree 167.
Geography
Puntarenas has an area of km² and a mean elevation of metres.
The ...
of
Puntarenas Province
Puntarenas () is a province of Costa Rica. It is located in the western part of the country, covering most of Costa Rica's Pacific Ocean coast, and it is the largest province in Costa Rica. Clockwise from the northwest it borders on the provinces ...
, on the Pacific coast of
Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
. As the seat of the Municipality of Puntarenas canton, it is awarded the title of city, which is made from the
Puntarenas,
Chacarita and
El Roble districts.
And as the city of the first canton of the province, it is the capital city of the Puntarenas Province as well, according to the
Administrative divisions of Costa Rica
According to the Political Constitution of Costa Rica of 1949, in article 168, the territorial division of Costa Rica is organized by law into three types of subnational entity:
For the purposes of the Public Administration, the national terr ...
.
Toponymy
The Puntarenas name comes from the portmanteau of Punta and Arenas, which means Point and Sands, respectively. Therefore, in English the name would mean "Sand Point". The name is first referenced by the arrival in February 1720 of the pirate Chipperton to the area, which recorded in his journals to have arrived to a "Punta de Arena", referring to the needle-like area on which the city stands today. The name is also given to the oddly shaped province of Puntarenas, which as the most extensive province in the country, has its largest section in the South, far from Puntarenas city.
Overview
There are some 100.000 inhabitants in the town and surrounding neighborhoods. Its
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the conti ...
beaches attract many
tourists, especially surfers. It is also a possible stopover point for the tourist destination
Monteverde, to the northwest.
Its
port
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...
, Caldera, is one of the main ports and the oldest port in the country. There are regular scheduled ferries to and from Puntarenas and the
Nicoya Peninsula
The Nicoya Peninsula () is a peninsula on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. It is divided into two provinces: Guanacaste Province in the north, and the Puntarenas Province in the south. It is located at . It varies from 19 to wide and is approx ...
.
History
Puntarenas was discovered by Gil González Dávila in 1522. Despite the use of the
Gulf of Nicoya
The Gulf of Nicoya ( es, Golfo de Nicoya) is an inlet of the Pacific Ocean. It separates the Nicoya Peninsula from the mainland of Costa Rica, and encompasses a marine and coastal landscape of wetlands, rocky islands and cliffs.
The first Spanish ...
as an entryway to Costa Rica's inland territory, the port of Puntarenas was not developed until 1840 when
coffee
Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world.
Seeds of ...
production in the highlands reached exportable volumes. In 1845 the Congress of the Republic declared Puntarenas a
duty-free
A duty-free shop (or store) is a retail outlet whose goods are exempt from the payment of certain local or national taxes and duties, on the requirement that the goods sold will be sold to travelers who will take them out of the country, w ...
port (with the exception of
Cognac
Cognac ( , also , ) is a variety of brandy named after the commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime.
Cognac production falls under French appella ...
and hard liquor). Originally, the coffee was brought to port in oxcarts via a trail through the mountains. In 1859, a stretch of railway track was completed between Puntarenas and the town of
Esparza (one of the country's earliest Spanish settlements, founded in 1574). Eventually, the railway was built all the way through to
San José and service was inaugurated in 1910.
With the railway connection to the Central Valley, the Pacific port's activities continued to be a major part of the region's economy throughout the 20th century. However, due to the aging and deterioration of the port facilities and the need to accommodate the much larger vessels of modern shipping fleets, a new port was constructed in the 1980s to the south of Puntarenas. The site chosen was Caldera (located at ), where ships had anchored during colonial times. Caldera was more appropriate site for larger ships, and actually was the first port site used since 1522.
Sports
The city's major football teams are Second Division sides
Puntarenas F.C., who have played many season at the highest level, and Jacó Rays.
Cuisine
As a major port on the Pacific coast, the gastronomy of Puntarenas is characterized by several seafood dishes, such as
ceviche
Ceviche () is a Peruvian dish typically made from fresh raw fish cured in fresh citrus juices, most commonly lime or lemon. It is also spiced with '' ají'', chili peppers or other seasonings, and julienned red onions, salt, and cilantro are ...
.
A very popular dessert is the
Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1 ...
, a type of
snow cone
Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes.
It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...
.
Climate
Puntarenas is generally hotter than the
Costa Rican Central Valley, with daytime highs ranging from in the coldest/hottest months, respectively.
Puntarenas temperatures from Climatezone.com
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References
External links
*
Puntarenas Province website
Puntarenas commercial website
www.radiopuntarenas.net La Radio Digital de Puntarenas
{{Authority control
Populated places in Puntarenas Province