Provinces of Panama

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Updates: 

La Prensa  reported on 2002-01-20 that there were moves under way to split a new province of Panamá Oeste (West Panama) from the existing Panamá province, and to split a new comarca from Bocas del Toro province for the benefit of the Naso-teribe ethnic group.

Recently, several new comarcas have been created in Panama. Also, San Blas comarca, which has been a division of Panama since 1938, is now most often called Kuna Yala. The main table shows the divisions of Panama as listed in the 2000 census returns, modified by the addition of Kuna de Wargandi.

Country overview: 

Panama was a department of Colombia in 1900. With the encouragement of the United States, Panama declared its independence from Colombia on 1903-11-03. The United States then acquired control of the Canal Zone from it. In 1979, the Canal Zone was restored to Panama.

Other names of country: 

1. Danish: Panama
2. Dutch: Panama, Republiek Panama (formal)
3. English: Republic of Panama (formal)
4. Finnish: Panama
5. French: Panama m
6. German: Panamá, Panama n
7. Italian: Panamá m
8. Norwegian: Panama, Republikken Panama (formal)
9. Portuguese: Panamá, República f do Panamá m (formal)
10. Spanish: Panamá, República f de Panamá m (formal)
11. Swedish: Panama

Origin of name: 

There are several theories about the origin of the name Panama. The best known is that the Spanish explorers found a village on the beach where Panama City now stands. The village was populated by fishermen, and its name, Panama, meant "many fish". Another version is that the name designated a species of tree; or that it meant "many butterflies". Lately, a Kuna chief has asserted that the name came from pannaba, a Kuna word for "very far".

Primary subdivisions: 

Panama is divided into nine provincias (provinces) and five comarcas.

Further subdivisions:

See the Districts of Panama page.

The provinces of Panama are divided into municipal districts, which are further subdivided into corregimientos.

Territorial extent: 

Before the Canal Zone was returned, Colón province had an exclave within the Canal Zone, containing the city of Colón.
If this Map  and this Map  are correct, Emberá has two separate sections, one of which is completely surrounded by Darién.
If this Map  is correct, Ngöbe Buglé has at least two exclaves within Chiriquí and two within Veraguas.

Origins of names: 

1. Bocas del Toro: Spanish for "mouths of the bull"
2. Colón: named for Christopher Columbus (Spanish: Cristóbal Colón)
3. Kuna Yala: Kuna for "land of the Kuna people"
4. Los Santos: Spanish for "the saints"

Change history: 

There have been numerous minor boundary adjustments.

1. 1904-02-26: Treaty of Hay and Bunau-Varilla took effect, by which the United States acquired the "use, occupation, and control" of the Canal Zone.
2. 1922: Darién province split from Panamá.
3. ~1925: Capital of Canal Zone moved from Ancón to Balboa Heights (a district in the city of Balboa).
4. ~1930: Herrera province split from Los Santos.
5. 1938: San Blas comarca (or intendency) formed from parts of Colón and Panamá.
6. 1979-10-01: By the Panama Canal Treaty, the United States relinquished the Canal Zone. The zone (1,432 sq. km.) was split and annexed to Colón and Panamá provinces. At this time, Panama was divided as shown here.

1. 1996-01-12: Kuna de Madungandí comarca split from Panamá province by Law 24.
2. 1997-03-07: Ngöbe-Buglé comarca formed from parts of Bocas del Toro, Chiriquí, and Veraguas provinces by Law 10.
3. 1998-11-08: Emberá comarca split from Darién province by Law 22.
4. 2000-07-26: Kuna de Wargandi comarca split from Darién by Law 34.

Other names of subdivisions: 

1. Emberá: Emberá-Wounaan (variant)
2. Kuna Yala: Dulenega (variant native name); San Blas (obsolete)

Population history:

Source: Contraloría General de la República de Panamá. 
Column headings are dates of censuses. Kuna Yala figures for 1940-1960 are included in Colón. The source doesn't explain why a population is given for Ngöbe Buglé in 1990, before it was created; nor whether the population of Canal Zone is included in the figures for 1911-1970.