San Vito, Costa Rica facts for kids

Quick facts for kids San Vito
District
San Vito Location in Costa Rica
Country	Costa Rica
Province	Puntarenas
Canton	Coto Brus
Creation	10 December 1965
Area
• Total	74.88 km2 (28.91 sq mi)
Elevation	1,009 m (3,310 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	14,834
• Density	198.104/km2 (513.09/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−06:00
Postal code	60801

San Vito is a district and the main city of the Coto Brus area in the Puntarenas province of Costa Rica. It's located about 271 kilometers (168 miles) southeast of the capital city, San José. San Vito is also quite close to the border with Panama.

What's in a Name?

You might think San Vito was named after Vito Sansonetti, one of the first people to own land here. But that's not true! The name San Vito actually honors an Italian saint Vitus, who was known for helping to start villages. It's just a coincidence that he had the same name as Mr. Sansonetti!

The name "Jaba" comes from a local legend. Long ago, some early travelers met a Panamanian Indigenous person by a stream in San Vito. This person was carrying a "jaba," which is like a wooden box. People say the river was then named "Jaba" after that event, and it's still called that today.

San Vito's Story

San Vito was started in 1952. Since then, it has grown into an important place in Costa Rica's Brunca region. The San Vito district was officially created on December 10, 1965.

San Vito de Java was created because the government of Costa Rica wanted to encourage people from other countries to settle there. They also wanted to build new communities in areas that were not very populated. San Vito was mainly founded by settlers from Europe, especially Italy.

In 1952, after World War II, Europe was facing tough economic times. Two brothers, Vito Giulio Cesar and Ugo Sansonetti, brought together a group of Italian pioneers. These pioneers came from many different places across Italy.

This movement of Italian people to Costa Rica is a good example of planned farming settlements. It was similar to how other places in Latin America were settled. The European immigrants received help from a group called the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (CIME).

Vito Sansonetti (1916-1999) was a sailor who started the company that helped people settle here. It was called the Italian Agricultural Colonisation Society (SICA). He worked with the Costa Rican government to make this happen. His brother, Ugo Sansonetti, lived in San Vito and helped lead the company in the area.

Before San Vito was founded, the area was known as Coto Brus, an Indigenous name. At that time, Costa Rica wanted to expand its farming areas. They also wanted to bring in money from other countries by offering easy bank loans and land.

San Vito's Location and Landscape

San Vito covers an area of 74.88 square kilometers (28.9 square miles). It sits at an elevation of 1009 meters (3,310 feet) above sea level.

The city is located on a high, uneven plateau. It's in the foothills of the Talamanca Mountain Range. The Java River, which is narrow and flows quickly, runs along the edge of San Vito.

San Vito is in the Coto Brus Valley. This valley was formed by movements in the Earth's crust. It stretches from San Isidro all the way to Panama. The Coto Brus Valley and its river meet another valley, the Valle del General, forming the Térraba River plain.

The area has many mountain foothills and high, uneven plateaus. Because of this, its rivers are straight and flow very fast.

Weather and Nature

San Vito has a South Pacific climate. This means it gets about 3050 millimeters (120 inches) of rain each year, with rain falling on about 175 days. The average temperature is 23 °C (73 °F). There is a dry season that lasts for three months, from December to March. Moisture from the Pacific Ocean reaches San Vito through the Térraba and Coto River valleys.

The plants and trees here are mostly low-altitude evergreen wet forest. This type of forest grows in wet areas with temperatures between 23 and 38 °C (73 and 100 °F), from sea level up to 1000 meters (3,280 feet). Some common trees include almond, cedro amargo, gavilán, espavel, and kativo.

People of San Vito

In 2011, San Vito had a population of 14,834 people.

Some people move from San Vito to more developed parts of Costa Rica or to other countries. The birth rate is also lower here. However, many people live in the area temporarily, especially to help harvest crops like coffee.

In San Vito, 51% of the population are men and 49% are women. A large part of the population, 56%, is under fifteen years old. Only 5% are over 65, which means it's a very young city! People who are old enough to work make up 39% of the total population.

San Vito's population is almost half of the total population of the Coto Brus canton.

No other place in Costa Rica has been so strongly shaped by Italian culture. Over the years, other groups have also added to the culture, including Creole people, Guaymi Indigenous people, and Asian people.

Learning in San Vito

About 7% of the people in San Vito have not finished any type of schooling. 24.8% have finished only primary school, and 9% have completed secondary school. About 6.6% of the population has finished university. San Vito is one of the few places in Costa Rica where learning the Italian language is required in schools. This is encouraged by the Ministry of Public Education to help keep Italian customs and traditions alive.

San Vito's Economy

The Coto Brus area, where San Vito is located, is one of the less developed zones in Costa Rica. The economy mainly relies on agriculture and raising cattle. The main crops grown here are coffee, sugarcane, corn, plantains, and beans. Cattle farming is also important, but on a smaller scale.

There is some small-scale manufacturing, mostly related to farming and making handmade goods for local use.

The town also has an airport, San Vito de Java Airport, which helps with transportation.

Italian Agricultural Colonisation Society

The government of Costa Rica offered 10,000 hectares (about 24,700 acres) of land for settlement. A contract was signed in 1951. The Italian Agricultural Colonisation Society (SICA) promised to settle 250 families, with 20% of them being Costa Rican. From 1952 to 1964, the colony was established and grew stronger. Each family received 20 hectares (about 49 acres) of land for farming.

The settlers faced many challenges, especially because the region was so isolated. However, after 1964, coffee production started to improve things a lot. The 1951 contract helped bring in both Italian settlers and Costa Ricans from other parts of the country. People were drawn by the chance to make a living in the area.

By the 1960s, the settlement was doing well. The settlers were earning a good living, coffee trees were producing a lot, and other crops were grown for food. There was also a town center with public services.

The population of San Vito itself grew from 45 people in 1952 to 10,710 in 1982. This was a huge increase! The Coto Brus canton also grew a lot, from 1,000 to 28,000 people in the same period.

SICA started building important places like the hospital, school, sawmill, and other businesses. The Costa Rican government also agreed to build a highway between San Vito and Golfito. Raising cattle also became very successful.

Exploring San Vito: Tourism

Tourism in San Vito is still quite new. This is partly because there hasn't been much interest from businesses or the government. The roads leading to the area are not in great condition, and there aren't enough places for tourists to stay or things to do. However, there are some interesting places to visit:

• The Dante Alighieri Cultural Center is across from the park. It has information about the history of Italian immigration to the area. Behind the center, you can see a Jeep that was hit by a bomb in Italy during World War II.
• The Wilson Botanical Garden and Las Cruces Biological Station is about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) south of San Vito. It protects over 300 hectares (740 acres) of wet forest. This area is home to about 2,000 types of plants, more than 400 kinds of birds, and 113 types of mammals.
• La Amistad International Park is a large park located about 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of San Vito.
• The Reserva Forestal Las Tablas (Las Tablas Forest Reserve) covers 19,602 hectares (48,438 acres). It has rough terrain and many different climates.

Getting Around San Vito

Road Transportation

The district is connected by these main roads:

• National Route 237
• National Route 612
• National Route 613

See also

In Spanish: San Vito (Coto Brus) para niños