Boquete District
| Boquete District | |
|---|---|
| District | |
 | |
  Boquete District | |
| Coordinates: 8°30′0″N 82°33′36″W / 8.50000°N 82.56000°WCoordinates: 8°30′0″N 82°33′36″W / 8.50000°N 82.56000°W | |
| Country |
 Panama |
| Province | Chiriquí Province |
| Capital | Bajo Boquete |
| Area | |
| • Total | 189 sq mi (489 km2) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 16,943 |
| Time zone | ETZ (UTC-5) |
Boquete District is a district (distrito) of Chiriquí Province in Panama located on the North of the Chiriqui Province, in the western side of the country. The population according to the 2010 census was 22,435.[1] The district covers a total area of 488,4 km².
The town is well known by its temperate cold climate, unlike the rest of the country, due to its location, in the Cordillera Central. The capital lies at the city of Bajo Boquete.[1]
Administrative divisions
The district is divided administratively into the following corregimientos:
Bajo Boquete (capital), Caldera, Palmira, Alto Boquete, Jaramillo and Los Naranjos.
History
By archeological information, the nearby area of the Baru Volcano was the place of the first chiefdoms and agricultural societies on what is now the Panama/Costa Rica border, with man-made pottery carbon dated by archaeologists at the Barriles Site Barriles to 300 BC. In Caldera there are also petroglyphs that witness the presence of Isthmo-Colombian villages in this region. During the Spanish Colonization of the Americas, the district of Boquete, along with the rest of the Talamanca highlands, were isolated due to the topographical character of the area, serving as a refuge for the Ngöbe-Bugle peoples Ngöbe Buglé people.
Is not until the 19th century, when starts the colonization of the Boquete region, with population from Gualaca, Bugaba, David and a little community of foreigners (mostly French and Germans) and some north Americans who started the growing of coffee, vegetables and the cattle raising. This immigration influenced the architectonic esthetic of the houses in Boquete. In 1907, the area had 6 villages: Lino, Bajo Boquete, Quiel, Bajo de Monos, Los Naranjos, Jaramillos and Palos Bobos (today Palmira); and were part of the district of David, nonetheless, the distance and the poor communication with the city of David and Boquete, brought as consequence that the population decided the creation of a new district.
With the law 20 of the January, 17th, 1911, was declared formally the Boquete district as part of the Chiriqui province. As an additional condition, was necessary to add the township of Cadera and the village of El Frances.
Initially, the capital of the district was located in the community of Lino, where there were more habitants and it had some facilities. However, the habitants made a solicitation of moving the capital to Bajo Boquete, due to its centric location in the district. Although the change was made extra officially, it was not valid until the promulgation of the law 103 of 1941.
In 1950, the town starts to celebrate the Festival of the Coffee, that were hosted by the community eventually to promote the local production. The April 9th, 1970, due to a serious flood, that caused important material damages and the death of 8 people. With this happen, they decide to suspend the festival till the next year and started a process of great recovery in the zone. And then, in 1973, the Festival of the Coffee turned into the Feria de las Flores y del Café.
Until 1998, there were only three townships: Bajo Boquete, Caldera and Palmira. On that same year were created the townships of Alto Boquete, Jaramillo and Los Naranjos.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Districts of Panama". Statoids. Retrieved April 10, 2009.
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