Chiriqui

Chiriquí is a province of Panama located on the western coast; it is the second most developed province in the country, after the Panamá Province. Its capital is the city of David. It has a total area of 6,490.9 km², with a population of 462,056 as of the year 2019.

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

Administrative Divisions

Chiriquí Province is divided into 13 distritos (districts) and sub-divided into 100 corregimientos, although a 14th district and an additional corregimiento will take effect from May 2019.

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

Note: Through Law 55 of 13 September 2013, the creation of Tierras Altas District had been approved, consisting of the corregimientos of Cerro Punta, Cuesta de Piedra, Nueva California, Paso Ancho and Volcán, which were split off from Bugaba District. The new district was to have Volcán as its main centre. Also through that same law, the corregimiento of Solano was created, after splitting off from the corregimiento of La Concepción, Bugaba. That new administrative division within Chiriquí Province was to come into effect by 2 May 2019.

History

Until the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores, Chiriquí was populated by a number of indigenous tribes, known collectively as the Guaymí people.

The first European to visit and describe Chiriquí was Gaspar de Espinosa, in 1519. The province was officially established on May 26, 1849, when Panama was still part of Colombia. Several years later, President Abraham Lincoln of the United States proposed Chiriquí as a favored location for Linconia, a colony for free blacks from the United States; some 349 traveled here but most blacks were not interested in colonization elsewhere.

Chiriquí was the province in which Manuel Noriega rose in the military ranks in the late 20th century; he helped bring Omar Torrijos back into the country after a coup d'état. Noriega had jeeps lined up with their lights on the runway in David to allow Torrijos's aircraft to land. Chiriqui was at the heart of a short-lived pro-democracy guerrilla movement in the late 1960s and early 1970s. After the dictatorship by Manuel Noriega from 1983 to 1989, Guillermo Endara became president of Panama; he appointed Edgar De Puy as governor of Chiriquí.

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. The district is home to Fortuna Forest Reserve. 

Coordinates 8°26′N 82°26′W
Country	Panama
Founded	May 26, 1849
Capital	David
Area
Total	6,490.9 km2 (2,506.2 sq mi)
Highest elevation	3,477 m (11,407 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population (2019) official estimate
Total	462,056
Density	71/km2 (180/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EDT)
ISO 3166 code	PA-4
Gini (2007)	32.9 (low)
HDI (2017)	0.789 high

 

Source: Wikipedia: Chiriquí Province