| Bocas del Toro Province (Provincia de Bocas del Toro) | ||
| Province | ||
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Bocas del Toro Archipelago
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| Country | Panama | |
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| Capital | Bocas del Toro | |
| - elevation | 3 m (10 ft) | |
| Lowest point | Sea level | |
| - elevation | 0 m (0 ft) | |
| Area | 4,657.2 km2 (1,798 sq mi) | |
| Population | 125,461 (2010) Census | |
| Density | 26.9 / km2 (70 / sq mi) | |
| Timezone | Eastern Time (UTC-5) | |
| ISO 3166-2 code | PA-1 | |
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Location of Bocas del Toro in Panama
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| Website: www.bocasdeltoro.com | ||
| Google Earth,[1] Statiods[2] | ||
Bocas del Toro is a province of Panama. Its extension is 4,643.9 square kilometers comprising the mainland and nine main islands.[3] The province consists of the Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Bahía Almirante (Almirante Bay), Laguna de Chiriquí (Chiriquí Lagoon), and adjacent mainland. The capital is the city of Bocas del Toro (Bocas Town) on Isla Colón (Colón Island). Other major cities or towns include Almirante, and Changuinola. The province has a total population of 125,461 people (2010).[4]
Christopher Columbus and his crew discovered the area in 1502.[5] Bocas del Toro borders the Caribbean Sea to the north, Limón Province of Costa Rica to the west, Chiriquí Province to the south, and Ngöbe-Buglé Comarca to the east. The Río Sixaola forms part of the border with Costa Rica. An old railroad bridge spans the river between Guabito and Sixaola, Costa Rica. The bridge is a border crossing used by tourists going between destinations in Bocas and Costa Rica.
The province contains two national parks: Isla Bastimentos National Marine Park and La Amistad International Park.[6] The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute operates a research station on Colón Island just northwest of Bocas Town.[7] There are many banana plantations in Bocas del Toro, often called the oro verde or green gold of Central America.[8]
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Christopher Columbus explored here in 1502, while searching for the passage to the Pacific ocean. Columbus's original name for the island was Isla del Drago. In colonial times, Bocas del Toro was part of Veraguas. It was originally part of Costa Rica until, in one of the many territorial disputes, Colombia took control of it with armed forces. The then government made a reservation called Bocas del Toro in 1834. In 1850, Bocas del Toro became a part of Chiriqui, then was separated from it and became part of Colon. On November 16, 1903, Bocas del Toro was separated from Colon and became its own province. In 1941, Bocas del Toro was divided into 2 districts, Bocas del Toro and Crimamola. Four years later, in became into the same division as before. In 1970, Bocas del Toro district became Changuinola, eliminated the district Bastimentos and added three new districts to what it is today. The extensions of the districts changed in 1997 when the reservation Ngöbe Buglé was made.
National Parks[6]
Isla Bastimentos National Marine Park (Parque Nacional Marino Isla Bastimentos) contains most of Isla Bastimentos and some smaller nearby islands. La Amistad International Park (Parque Internacional La Amistad) spans the Costa Rica-Panama border. Bocas del Toro contains most of the Panamanian section of the park, which is 400,000 hectares (4,000 km2; 1,544 sq mi). The Costa Rican section of the park is 584,592 hectares (5,846 km2; 2,257 sq mi).[9] La Amistad International Park is a listed UNESCO World Heritage site.[9]
| Districts of Bocas del Toro | Establishment | Surface area |
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Cabecera (Seat) |
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| Bocas del Toro District | 1855 | 430 km² | Bocas del Toro, Bastimentos, Cauchero, Punta Laurel and Tierra Oscura | Bocas del Toro |
| Changuinola District | 1903 | 3995 km² | Changuinola, Almirante, Guabito, Teribe, Valle del Risco, El Empalme and Las Tablas | Changuinola |
| Chiriquí Grande District | 1970 | 207 km² | Chiriquí Grande, Miramar, Punte Peña, Punta Robalo and Rambala | Chiriquí Grande |
10. ^ www.bocasdeltoro.com Official Web Site of the Island
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