Chiriquí Province

{{Short description|Province of Panama}}

{{Infobox settlement

| name = Chiriquí Province

| native_name = Provincia de Chiriquí

| native_name_lang = es

| settlement_type = Province

| image_skyline = VistaBoquete.jpg

| image_alt =

| image_caption =

| image_flag = Bandera de la Provincia de Chiriquí.svg

| flag_alt =

| image_seal =

| seal_alt =

| image_shield = Escudo de Chiriquí.jpg

| shield_alt =

| nickname =

| motto =

| image_map = Chiriqui in Panama.svg

| map_alt =

| map_caption =

| pushpin_map =

| pushpin_label_position =

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| coordinates = {{Wikidatacoord|Q739651|display=inline,title}}

| coor_pinpoint = Seat of Government

| coordinates_footnotes =

| subdivision_type = Country

| subdivision_name = Panama

| subdivision_type1 = Capital

| subdivision_name1 =

| established_title = Founded

| established_date = 26 May 1849

| founder =

| seat_type = Capital

| seat = David

| government_footnotes =

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| unit_pref = Metric

| area_footnotes =

| area_total_km2 = 6490.9

| area_land_km2 =

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| area_water_percent =

| area_note =

| elevation_footnotes =

| elevation_max_m = 3477

| elevation_min_m = 0

| population_footnotes = Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censo, Ciudad de Panamá.

| population_total = 471,071

| population_as_of = 2023 census

| population_density_km2 = auto

| population_demonym =

| population_note =

| demographics_type1 = GDP (PPP, constant 2015 values)

| demographics1_footnotes =

| demographics1_title1 = Year

| demographics1_info1 = 2023

| demographics1_title2 = Total

| demographics1_info2 = $11.9 billion{{cite web |url=https://tellusant.com/repo/tb/tellubase_factsheet_pan.pdf |publisher=Tellusant |title=TelluBase—Panama Fact Sheet (Tellusant Public Service Series) |access-date=11 January 2024 |archive-date=15 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115225618/https://tellusant.com/repo/tb/tellubase_factsheet_pan.pdf |url-status=live }}

| demographics1_title3 = Per capita

| demographics1_info3 = $26,800

| blank_name_sec1 = Gini (2007)

| blank_info_sec1 = 32.9 (low)

| blank_name_sec2 = HDI (2021)

| blank_info_sec2 = 0.805{{Cite web |url=https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/ |title=Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab |website=hdi.globaldatalab.org |language=en |access-date=16 March 2024 |archive-date=23 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923120638/https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/ |url-status=live }}
{{color|green|very high}}

| timezone1 = EDT

| utc_offset1 = -5

| timezone1_DST =

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| iso_code = PA-4

| website =

}}

Chiriquí ({{IPA|es|tʃiɾiˈki}}) is a province of Panama located on the western coast; it is the second most developed province in the country, after Panamá Province. Its capital is the city of David. It has a total area of 6,490.9 km2, with a population of 471,071 as of the year 2023.{{Cite web |title=Panama: Provinces & Major Urban Places - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/panama/cities/ |access-date=10 March 2024 |website=www.citypopulation.de |archive-date=13 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240713163600/http://www.citypopulation.de/en/panama/cities/ |url-status=live }}

The province of Chiriquí is bordered to the north by the province of Bocas del Toro, 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.

History

{{unsourced|section|date=August 2023}}

File:Parque Nacional Chiriquí.JPG]]

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 26 May 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. Only 349 accepted the offer. Most blacks were not interested.

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.

Administrative divisions

Chiriquí Province is divided into 13 distritos (districts) and sub-divided into 100 corregimientos,{{cite web |url=http://www.editorialox.com/chiriqui.htm |title=Municipios (distritos) de Chiriquí |access-date=15 November 2012 |work=Editorial OX |archive-date=9 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190509080113/http://www.editorialox.com/chiriqui.htm |url-status=live }} although a 14th district and an additional corregimiento took effect from May 2019.

class="sortable wikitable"

!Distrito

!Area
(km2)

!Population

Estimate
2010As of 1 July 2010; adjusted for under-enumeration in the 2010 Census. Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censo, Ciudad de Panamá.

!Population

Estimate
2019

Alanje

| align="right" |443

| align="right" |16,996

| align="right" |17,433

Barú

| align="right" |595

| align="right" |57,424

| align="right" |58,472

Boquerón

| align="right" |295

| align="right" |15,475

| align="right" |16,229

Boquete

| align="right" |488

| align="right" |22,002

| align="right" |23,313

Bugaba

| align="right" |880

| align="right" |80,527

| align="right" |83,704

David

| align="right" |868

| align="right" |155,812

| align="right" |172,384

Dolega

| align="right" |251

| align="right" |25,848

| align="right" |26,805

Gualaca

| align="right" |626

| align="right" |10,037

| align="right" |10,412

Remedios

| align="right" |167

| align="right" |4,170

| align="right" |4,323

Renacimiento

| align="right" |529

| align="right" |21,126

| align="right" |21,490

San Félix

| align="right" |218

| align="right" |6,493

| align="right" |6,803

San Lorenzo

| align="right" |648

| align="right" |7,729

| align="right" |8,024

Tierras Altas

| align="right" |included in figure for Bugaba District.

| align="right" |

| align="right" |

Tolé

| align="right" |482

| align="right" |12,238

| align="right" |12,674

class="wikitable"
District

! Corregimientos (Subdivisions)

! Cabecera (Seat)

Alanje District

| Santiago de Alanje, Canta Gallo, Divalá, El Tejar, Guarumal, Nuevo México, Palo Grande, Querévalo, Santo Tomás

| Santiago de Alanje

Barú District

| Puerto Tomás Armuelles, Baco, Limones, Progreso, Rodolfo Aguilar Delgado

| Puerto Tomás Armuelles

Boquerón District

| Boquerón, Bágala, Cordillera, Guabal, Guayabal, Paraíso, Pedregal, Tijeras

| Boquerón

Boquete District

| Bajo Boquete, Alto Boquete, Caldera, Jaramillo, Los Naranjos, Palmira

| Bajo Boquete

Bugaba District

| La Concepción, Aserrío de Gariché, Bugaba, El Bongo, Gómez, La Estrella, San Andrés, Santa Marta, Santa Rosa, Santo Domingo, Solano, Sortová

| La Concepción

David District

| San José de David, Bijagual, Cochea, Chiriquí, Guacá, Las Lomas, Pedregal, San Carlos, San Pablo Nuevo, San Pablo Viejo

| San José de David

Dolega District

| San Francisco de Dolega, Dos Ríos, Los Algarrobos, Los Anastacios, Potrerillos, Potrerillos Abajo, Rovira, Tinajas

| San Francisco de Dolega

Gualaca District

| Gualaca, Hornito, Los Angeles, Paja de Sombrero, Rincón

| Gualaca

Remedios District

| Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, El Nancito, El Porvenir, El Puerto, Santa Lucía

| Nuestra Señora de los Remedios

Renacimiento District

| Río Sereno, Breñón, Cañas Gordas, Dominical, Monte Lirio, Plaza de Caisán, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz

| Río Sereno

San Félix District

| Las Lajas, Juay, Lajas Adentro, San Félix, Santa Cruz

| Las Lajas

San Lorenzo District

| Horconcitos, Boca Chica, Boca del Monte, San Juan, San Lorenzo

| Horconcitos

Tierras Altas District

| Volcán, Cerro Punta, Cuesta de Piedra, Nueva California, Paso Ancho

| Volcán

Tolé District

| Tolé, Bella Vista, Cerro Viejo, El Cristo, Justo Fidel Palacios, Lajas de Tolé, Potrero de Caña, Quebrada de Piedra, Veladero

| Tolé

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.[http://www.presidencia.gob.pa/4848-Presidente-sanciona-Ley-que-crea-distrito-de-Tierras-Altas-en-Chiriqui «Presidente sanciona Ley que crea distrito de Tierras Altas en Chiriquí»], Article from 16 September 2013 on the Ministry of Presidency of Panama website.{{cite journal |url=http://gacetas.procuraduria-admon.gob.pa/27374_2013.pdf |title=Ley 55 |date=16 September 2013 |journal=Gaceta Oficial Digital |volume=Año CIX |number=27374 |pages=2–11 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=19 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304090750/http://gacetas.procuraduria-admon.gob.pa/27374_2013.pdf |url-status=live }}

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.

References

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