Province of Panama
The name, Panama has been used to name various areas of the country in the last 500 years. It was first given to the segment of the Caribbean coast visited by the discoverer of the Isthmus, Rodrigo de Bastidas, in 1501. It was also given
to the first European settlement on the country’s Pacific coast.
The name was used once again to designate one of two governorships (Veraguas and Panama) that resulted in the separation of the old colony of Castilla de Oro into two provinces. After gaining their independence from Spain on November 28, 1821, both provinces joined the Gran Colombia Federation, which originally comprised Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador. Once the federation was dissolved in 1831, Panama and Veraguas remained as parts of the Republic of New Granada. Later, in 1855, during the Isthmus’ short life as a quasi-independent Federal State, the present-day country of Panama was divided into 7 departments: Coclé, Colón, Chiriquí, Fábrega, Herrera, Los Santos and Panamá.
Fábrega was the name given to the territory of present-day Veraguas. In 1864, major changes were made to the country’s administrative divisions. The department of Fábrega officially was renamed “Veraguas”, and Herrera and Los Santos united to form the province of Azuero. What is today known as the province of Darién was once a part of the province of Panama, until the approval of Law 22 of December 27, 1922, officially separated the two territories.
Panama is the country’s most important territorial subdivision, as it is considered the engine of the nation’s service-oriented economy. The national capital of Panama City is located in this territory. The province has a population of 1,580,940, populating 11 districts (the equivalent of U.S. counties): Arraiján, Balboa, Capira, Chame, Chepo, Chimán, La Chorrera, Panamá, San Carlos, San Miguelito and Taboga. The province of Panama is the country’s second largest (after Darién,) covering an area of 11.670,92 square kilometers. To the north, it is bordered by the province of Colón and the San Blas Native American “Comarca”; the province of Darién, to the east, and Coclé, to the west. The southern boundary is shaped by the Bay of Panama, which forms a vast, arched indention along the Pacific coast.