Chiriquí Province

Chiriquí (Spanish pronunciation: [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.^[4][1] 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.

Chiriquí Province Provincia de Chiriquí
Province
Flag Coat of arms
Coordinates (Seat of Government): 8°25′47″N 82°25′48″W
Country	Panama
Founded	26 May 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  (2023 census)[1]
• Total	471,071
• Density	73/km2 (190/sq mi)
GDP (PPP, constant 2015 values)
• Year	2023
• Total	$11.9 billion[2]
• Per capita	$26,800
Time zone	UTC-5 (EDT)
ISO 3166 code	PA-4
Gini (2007)	32.9 (low)
HDI (2021)	0.805[3] very high

History

Beach in Chiriquí National Park

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,^[5] although a 14th district and an additional corregimiento took effect from May 2019.

Distrito	Area (km2)	Population Estimate 2010[6]	Population Estimate 2019[1]
Alanje	443	16,996	17,433
Barú	595	57,424	58,472
Boquerón	295	15,475	16,229
Boquete	488	22,002	23,313
Bugaba	880	80,527	83,704
David	868	155,812	172,384
Dolega	251	25,848	26,805
Gualaca	626	10,037	10,412
Remedios	167	4,170	4,323
Renacimiento	529	21,126	21,490
San Félix	218	6,493	6,803
San Lorenzo	648	7,729	8,024
Tierras Altas	[7]	[7]	[7]
Tolé	482	12,238	12,674

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.^[8][9]

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.