Chiriquí Province

Chiriquí is a province of Panama, it is located on the western coast of Panama and is the most developed province in the country. The capital is the city of David. The local government of Chiriquí is modeled after that of the United States.

The province of Chiriquí is located in the western region of Panama. It is bordered to the north by the provinces Bocas del Toro and Ngobe-Buglé, to the west by Costa Rica, to the east by the province of Veraguas, and to the south by the Pacific Ocean, specifically the Gulf of Chiriquí.

It has a size of 6,476.2 km², with a population of 368,790 people occupying 87,509 houses as of the year 2000.

Until the arrival of Spaniards, Chiriquí was populated by a number of indigenous tribes, known collectively as guaymies. These tribes include changuinas, zurias, boquerones, buricas, doraces, bugabas, and gualacas.

Districts

The province is divided in 13 districts.

• Alanje District. Corregimientos include: Alanje (capital), Divalá, El Tejar, Guarumal, Palo Grande, Querévalo, Santo Tomás, Canta Gallo and Nuevo México.
• Barú District. Corregimientos include: Puerto Armuelles (capital), Limones, Progreso, Baco and Rodolfo Aguilar Delgado.
• Boquerión District. Corregimientos include Boquerión (capital), Bágala, Cordillera, Guabal, Guayabal, Paraíso, Pedregal and Tijeras.
• Boquete District. Corregimientos include Bajo Boquete (capital), Caldera, Palmira, Alto Boquete, Jaramillo and Los Naranjos.
• Bugaba District. Corregimientos include La Concepción (capital), Aserrío de Gariché, Bugaba, Cerro Punta, Gíómez, La Estrella, San Andrés, Santa Marta, Santa Rosa, Santo Domingo, Sortová, Volcán and El Bongo.
• David District. Corregimientos include David (capital), Bijagual, Cochea, Chiriquí, Guacá, Las Lomas, Pedregal, San Carlos, San Pablo Nuevo and San Pablo Viejo.
• Dolega District. Corregimientos include Dolega (capital), Dos Ríos, Los Anastacios, Potrerillos, Potrerillos Abajo, Rovira, Tinajas and Los Algarrobos.
• Gualaca District. Corregimientos include Gualaca (capital), Hornito, Los Angeles, Paja de Sombrero and Rinción.
• Remedios District. Corregimientos include Remedios (capital), El Nancito, El Porvenir, El Puerto and Santa Lucía.
• Renacimiento District. Corregimientos include Río Sereno (capital), Breñión, Cañas Gordas, Monte Lirio, Plaza de Caisán, Santa Cruz, Dominical and Santa Clara.
• San Félix District. Corregimientos include Las Lajas (capital), Juay, San Félix, Lajas Adentro and Santa Cruz.
• San Lorenzo District. Corregimientos include Horconcitos (capital), Boca Chica, Boca del Monte, San Juan and San Lorenzo.
• Tolé District. Corregimientos include Tolé (capital), Cerro Viejo, Lajas de Tolé, Potrero de Caña, Quebrada de Piedra, Bella Vista, El Cristo, Justo Fidel Palacios and Veladero.

History

Chiriquí was first discovered in 1519 by Gaspar de Espinosa. The province was officially established on May 26, 1849, when Panama was still part of Colombia. Chiriquí was Abraham Lincoln's favored destination for Linconia, a project of colonization by free blacks. Chiriquí was the province in which Manuel Noriega rose in the military ranks which included helping bring Omar Torrijos back into the country after a coup. To help he lined up jeeps with their lights on the runway in David to allow Torrijos' plane to land. Chiriqui was also the heart of a short lived pro-democracy guerilla movement in the late 60's and early 70's.

Economy

The economy of Chiriquí is based principally on livestock and agriculture, making it the primary province of these materials for the rest of the country. Also, tourism is beginning to increase as the province becomes a destination for national and international tourists.

Climate

The province features a variety of climates, from hot and humid lowlands to the cool and moist highlands.

Links

Chiriquí – Tourism Portal

Chiriquí Flag
Country	Panama
Capital	David
Area	6,476.2 km2 (2,500 sq mi)
Population	412,190 (2007) Estimate
Denonym	Chirican
Coordinates	8°26′N 82°26′W

Source: Wikipedia