Colón Province

Province of Panama

It has been suggested that Limon Bay be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since October 2024.

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Province in Panama

Colón Province

Provincia de Colón

Province

Flag

Coat of arms

Location of Colón Province in Panama

Coordinates: 9°10′N 80°10′W﻿ / ﻿9.167°N 80.167°W﻿ / 9.167; -80.167
Country| Panama
Founded| 1855
Capital city| Colón
Area

• Total| 4,575.5 km2 (1,766.6 sq mi)
Population

(2023 census)

• Total| 281,956
• Density| 62/km2 (160/sq mi)
| official estimate[1]
GDP (PPP, constant 2015 values)

• Year| 2023
• Total| $7.6 billion[2]
• Per capita| $27,100
Time zone| UTC-5 (Eastern Time)
ISO 3166 code| PA-3
HDI (2017)| 0.799[3]
high

Colón (Spanish pronunciation: [koˈlon]) is a province of Panama. The capital is the city of Colón. It covers an area of 4,575.5 km2, and the population (in 2023) is 281,956.[4][5]

## Overview

[edit]

This province has traditionally been focused on commerce (through the Colón Free Zone, Panama Canal, and its banking activities), but also has natural resources that are being developed as a tourist attraction, such as coral reefs and rainforests. During the Spanish colonial period, the Colon region of Panama was the center of trade, commerce, and overall economy for the Spanish. They imported many black African slaves to this area to work in Panama and to ship to other Spaniard colonies.

Most of the black population in Panama is centered in the Province of Colon. Panama has two distinct groups of black people. The first and earliest black people were those who came as slaves as early as the fifteenth century, through much of the nineteenth century. They are of mixed African and Spanish descent. This group is known as Cimarrones, Afro Colonials, Nativos, Playeros, Congos. These terms have proven crucial[citation needed] in establishing that these are the first and original black people of the Republic of Panama. Afro Colonials have held on to their culture and adopted Hispanic customs, traits, and cultures. They took and assumed Spanish names and surnames. They also developed the beginning of Panama's black population and culture, in pure and mixed forms. They have been incorporated into Panamanian and Spanish-speaking society, as a result.

In the nineteenth century, beginning as early as the 1840s, black people from the Caribbean and West Indies immigrated to Panama to assist to build the Panama Railway and the Panama Canal. Later many black people from all over the Caribbean and West Indies, especially from Jamaica and Barbados, settled here between the years of 1880 and 1901 to build the Panama Canal. Many later settled in the Colon Province. This group of Caribbean and/or West Indian origin are called Afro Antillanos by the Hispanic Panamanians. They have assimilated to the Hispanic culture and Panama as well as holding on to aspects of their descent and culture. They have influenced the cuisine and music of Panama. Most importantly, their influence on music, especially from those of Jamaican descent who created Reggae en Español.

## Administrative divisions

[edit]

Since the creation of Omar Torrijos Herrera District in 2018, Colón Province is divided into six districts (distritos) which are subdivided into 42 corregimientos.

District  | Area
(km2)  | Population

Estimate
2010[6]

| Population

Census
2023[7]

| Notes

|
|
|
|

Chagres | 445  | 10,282  | 10,968  |
Colón | 1,180  | 218,604  | 240,722  | Contains city of Colón
Donoso | 1,627  | 13,165  | 12,274  | Western part of Province
Omar Torrijos Herrera | 199  | –  | 3,561  | Formerly part of Donoso
Portobelo | 397  | 9,382  | 10,320  |
Santa Isabel | 727  | 3,530  | 4,111  | Eastern part of Province
District  |

Corregimientos (Subdivisions)

| Cabecera (Seat)

|
|

Colón District | Barrio Norte1, Barrio Sur1, Buena Vista, Cativá, Ciricito, Sabanitas, Salamanca, Limón, Nueva Providencia, Puerto Pilón, Cristóbal, Escobal, San Juan, Santa Rosa | Colón City
Chagres District | Nuevo Chagres, Achiote, El Guabo, La Encantada, Palmas Bellas, Piña, Salud | Nuevo Chagres
Donoso District | Miguel de la Borda, Coclé del Norte, El Guásimo, Gobea, Río Indio | Miguel de la Borda
Omar Torrijos Herrera District | San José del General, Nueva Esperanza, San Juan de Turbe | San José del General
Portobelo District | San Felipe de Portobelo, Cacique, Garrote, Isla Grande, María Chiquita | San Felipe de Portobelo
Santa Isabel District | Palenque, Cuango, Miramar, Nombre de Dios, Palmira, Playa Chiquita, Santa Isabel, Viento Frío | Palenque

1 – These corregimientos make up Colón City.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censo, Panama.
2. ^ "TelluBase—Panama Fact Sheet (Tellusant Public Service Series)" (PDF). Tellusant. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
3. ^ "Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
4. ^ Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censo, Panama.
5. ^ "Panama: Provinces & Major Urban Places - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
6. ^ As of 1 July 2010; adjusted for under-enumeration in 2010 Census. Source: National Institute of Statistics and Census of Panama.
7. ^ National Institute of Statistics and Census of Panama.

* v
* t
* e

Colón Province

Capital: Colón

Chagres District|

* Achiote
* El Guabo
* La Encantada
* Nuevo Chagres
* Palmas Bellas
* Piña
* Salud

Colón District|

* Barrio Norte
* Barrio Sur
* Buena Vista
* Cativá
* Ciricito
* Colón City
* Cristóbal
* Escobal
* Limón
* Nueva Providencia
* Puerto Pilón
* Sabanitas
* Salamanca
* San Juan
* Santa Rosa

Donoso District|

* Coclé del Norte
* Gobea
* El Guásimo
* Río Indio
* Miguel de la Borda

Omar Torrijos Herrera District|

* San José del General
* San Juan de Turbe
* Nueva Esperanza

Portobelo District|

* Cacique
* Garrote
* Isla Grande
* María Chiquita
* Portobelo

Santa Isabel District|

* Cuango
* Miramar
* Nombre de Dios
* Palenque
* Palmira
* Playa Chiquita
* Santa Isabel
* Viento Frío

* v
* t
* e

Provinces and comarcas of Panama

Provinces|

* Bocas del Toro
* Chiriquí
* Coclé
* Colón
* Darién
* Herrera
* Los Santos
* Panamá
* Panamá Oeste
* Veraguas

* Panama portal

Province-level
Comarcas indígenas
("Indigenous regions")

* Emberá-Wounaan
* Guna Yala
* Naso Tjër Di
* Ngäbe-Buglé

Corregimiento-level
Comarcas indígenas

* Kuna de Madugandí
* Kuna de Wargandí

Authority control databases: Geographic |

* MusicBrainz area

|

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