Veraguas Province

Veraguas (Spanish pronunciation: [beˈɾa.ɣwas]) is a province of Panama, located in the centre-west of the country. The capital is the city of Santiago de Veraguas. It is the only Panamanian province to border both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It covers an area of 10,587.6 km² and in 2023 it had a population of 259,791.[4][5]

Veraguas Province
Provincia de Veraguas
Province
Panorama of Veraguas Province
Panorama of Veraguas Province
Flag of Veraguas Province
Flag
Location of Veraguas Province in Panama
Location of Veraguas Province in Panama
CountryPanama
FoundedJuly 9, 1508
Capital citySantiago
Area
 • Total10,587.5 km2 (4,087.9 sq mi)
Population
 (2023 census)[1]
 • Total259,791
 • Density25/km2 (64/sq mi)
Demonymveraguense
GDP (PPP, constant 2015 values)
 • Year2023
 • Total$3.3 billion[2]
 • Per capita$14,300
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern Time)
ISO 3166 codePA-9
HDI (2017)0.727[3]
high
Websitehttp://www.veraguas.org/

History

Veraguas was originally inhabited by the Veraguas culture.

Veraguas was explored by Christopher Columbus on his fourth voyage. He tried to establish the first colony in the new Spanish mainland but failed due to resistance from Indigenous peoples. Diego de Nicuesa also tried to establish a colony and failed, which made him create a colony to fight against the Indigenous population, which he named Nombre de Dios. Its capital, Santiago de Veraguas, was founded about 1636.[6]

It is said that its name comes from the indigenous word "Veracua" or "Viragua", though other theories abound. It is the only province in Panama with coastlines on both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The majority of people live on the Pacific side; the Caribbean coast is mostly uninhabited.

Tourism

Veraguas has many groups of inhabitants, mainly of Spanish/Indigenous origin named campesinos. This land offers tourists and visitors close contact with nature. Forests, mountains, coasts, and islands where there are more than 200 varieties of orchids; more than 400 species of birds, in addition to mammals, reptiles, and insects.

Veraguas has various national parks. The Coiba National Park, (with the largest coral reef of the Pacific Coast of America), Cerro Hoya National Park (covers the southwest part of the Azuero Peninsula and the sea that surrounds it), Santa Fe National Park (a forest in the northern region), La Yeguada Forest reserve (with a great artificial lake for the production of electricity) and El Montuoso Forest reserve.

Beaches such as Playa Santa Catalina, Playa Mariato, Malena, and Torio offer great places for recreation, surfing, and fishing. Other famous touristic areas is the Iglesia de San Francisco de la Montaña. This church has a Baroque architecture and dates back to 1727. It was declared a National Historical Monument on January 27, 1937.

Administrative divisions

Veraguas Province is divided into 12 distritos (districts) and subdivided into 104 corregimientos.[7]

Distrito Area
(km2)		 Population

Estimate
2010[8]

 Population

Estimate
2019[9]

Atalaya 156 10,749 11,321
Calobre 806 12,112 12,159
Cañazas 789 17,737 18,022
La Mesa 511 12,256 12,062
Las Palmas 1,015 18,516 18,493
Mariato 1,381 5,584 5,564
Montijo 780 6,928 7,060
Río de Jesús 302 5,376 5,501
San Francisco 437 10,412 10,536
Santa Fe 1,920 16,423 17,341
Santiago 971 93,841 99,821
Soná 1,519 29,329 29,774
District
Corregimientos (Subdivisions)
 Cabecera (Seat)
Atalaya District Jesús Nazareno de Atalaya, El Barrito, La Montañuela, San Antonio, La Carrillo Jesús Nazareno de Atalaya
Calobre District Calobre, Barnizal, Chitra, El Cocla, El Potrero, La Laguna, La Raya de Calobre, La Tetilla, La Yeguada, Las Guías, Monjarás, San José Calobre
Cañazas District San Francisco Javier de Cañazas, Cerro de Plata, Los Valles, San Marcelo, El Picador, San José, El Aromillo, Las Cruces San Francisco Javier de Cañazas
La Mesa District La Mesa, Bisvalles, Boró, Llano Grande, San Bartolo, Los Milagros, El Higo La Mesa
Las Palmas District Las Palmas, Cerro de Casa, Corozal, El María, El Prado, El Rincón, Lolá, Pixvae, Puerto Vidal, Zapotillo, San Martín de Porres, Viguí, Manuel Encarnación Amador Terreros Las Palmas
Mariato District Mariato, Arenas, El Cacao, Quebro, Tebario Mariato
Montijo District Montijo, Isla Gobernadora, La Garceana, Leones, Pilón, Cébaco, Costa Hermosa, Unión del Norte Montijo
Río de Jesús District La Ermita de Río de Jesús, Catorce de Noviembre, Las Huacas, Los Castillos, Utira, Nuevo San Juan La Ermita de Río de Jesús
San Francisco District San Francisco de la Montaña, Corral Falso, Los Hatillos, Remance, San Juan, San José San Francisco de la Montaña
Santa Fe District Santa Fe, Calovébora, El Alto, El Cuay, El Pantano, Gatuncito, Río Luis, Rubén Cantú Santa Fe
Santiago District Santiago Apóstol de Veraguas, La Colorada, La Peña, La Raya de Santa María, Ponuga, San Pedro del Espino, Canto del Llano, Los Algarrobos, Carlos Santana Ávila, Edwin Fábrega, San Martín de Porres, Urracá, La Soledad, Rincón Largo, El Llanito Santiago Apóstol de Veraguas
Soná District Soná, Bahía Honda, Calidonia, Cativé, El Marañón, Guarumal, La Soledad, Quebrada de Oro, Río Grande, Rodeo Viejo, Hicaco Soná

See also
  • Veragua
  • Veraguas Club Deportivo, a football team
  • F.C. Veraguas 2010, a football team

References
  1. Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censo, Ciudad de Panamá.
  2. "TelluBase—Panama Fact Sheet (Tellusant Public Service Series)" (PDF). Tellusant. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
  3. "Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  4. "Panama: Provinces & Major Urban Places - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
  5. Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censo, Ciudad de Panamá.
  6. Gudeman, Stephen (2004), The Demise of a Rural Economy: From Subsistence to Capitalism in a Latin, Routledge, p. 17, ISBN 0-415-33042-4
  7. "Municipios (Distritos) de Veraguas". Editorial OX. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  8. As at 1 July 2010; adjusted for under-enumeration in 2010 Census. Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censo, Ciudad de Panamá.
  9. Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censo, Ciudad de Panamá.
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