Colón Province

Colón Province Provincia de Colón
Province
Flag
Location of Colón Province in Panama Location of Colón Province in Panama
Coordinates: 9°10′N 80°10′W
Country	Panama
Founded	1855
Capital city	Colón
Area
• Total	4,575.5 km2 (1,766.6 sq mi)
Population  (2019)
• Total	294,060
• Density	64/km2 (170/sq mi)
	official estimate
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern Time)
ISO 3166 code	PA-3
HDI (2017)	0.799 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 sq.km, and the latest estimate of population (for 2019) is 294,060.

Overview

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 blacks. The first and earliest blacks 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 in establishing that these are the first and original blacks 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, blacks from the Caribbean and West Indies immigrated to Panama to assist to build the Panama Railway and the Panama Canal. Later many blacks from all over the Caribbean and West Indies, especially from Jamaica and Barbados, settled here between the years of 1880 and 1920 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 invented and created Reggae en Español.

Administrative divisions

Colón Province is divided into 5 distritos (districts) and subdivided into 40 corregimientos.

Distrito	Area (km2)	Population Estimate 2010	Population Estimate 2019	Notes
Chagres	445	10,282	11,342
Colón	1,180	218,604	253,366	Contains city of Colón
Donoso	1,826	13,165	14,798	Western part of Province
Portobelo	397	9,382	10,581
Santa Isabel	727	3,530	3,973	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, San José del General	Miguel de la Borda
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 represent as Colón City.