Bocas del Toro (; meaning "Mouths of the Bull") is a

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

. Its area is 4,643.9 square kilometers, comprising the mainland and nine main islands. The province consists of the

Bocas del Toro Archipelago The Bocas del Toro Archipelago is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea in the north-west of Panama. Geography The archipelago separates Almirante Bay and Chiriquí Lagoon from the open Caribbean Sea. The archipelago is part of the Bocas del ...

, Bahía Almirante (Almirante Bay),

Chiriquí Lagoon Chiriquí Lagoon is a large lagoon on the northwest coast of Panama covering an area of about . It is separated from the Caribbean Sea by the Valiente Peninsula to the east and from Almirante Bay by islands in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago to ...

, and adjacent mainland. The capital is the city of Bocas del Toro (or Bocas Town) on

Isla Colón Isla or ISLA may refer to: Organizations * International Securities Lending Association, a trade association * International School of Los Angeles * International Bilingual School, later named International School of Los Angeles People * Isla (g ...

(Colón Island). Other major cities or towns include Almirante and

Changuinola Changuinola is a city in the Bocas del Toro Province of Panama and seat city of the Changuinola District. The city attracts tourists as a popular gateway to Bocas Town and nearby cities Almirante and Chiriqui Grande. Changuinola is surrounded ...

. The province has a population of 159,228 as of 2023.

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus (; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed Voyages of Christopher Columbus, four Spanish-based voyages across the At ...

and his crew first visited the area in 1502. Bocas del Toro borders the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere, located south of the Gulf of Mexico and southwest of the Sargasso Sea. It is bounded by the Greater Antilles to the north from Cuba ...

to the north,

Limón Province Limón () is one of seven Provinces of Costa Rica, provinces in Costa Rica. The province covers an area of 9,189 km2, and has a population of 386,862. The majority of its territory is situated in the country's Caribbean lowlands, though the ...

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

and the

Naso Tjër Di Comarca Naso Tjër Di (meaning “I am from the grandmother's river") is a landlocked indigenous region of Panama, located in the extreme northwest of the country, on the banks of the Teribe River and adjacent to the border between Costa Rica and Panam ...

to the west,

Chiriquí Province Chiriquí () is a province of Panama located on the western coast; it is the second most developed province in the country, after Panamá Province. Its capital is the city of David. It has a total area of 6,490.9 km2, with a population of 47 ...

to the south, and Ngöbe-Buglé Comarca to the east. The Río Sixaola forms part of the border with Costa Rica. A newly constructed bridge spans the river between

Guabito Guabito is a corregimiento and town in the Changuinola District of the Bocas del Toro Province of Panama. It is a small town located directly across the Rio Sixaola from Sixaola, Costa Rica. An elevated former railroad grade and bridge connects ...

and

Sixaola Sixaola is a district of the Talamanca canton, in the Limón province of Costa Rica. It is a border town together with Guabito, Panama Sixaola is right across the Sixaola River from Guabito, Panama. History Sixaola was created on 19 February ...

, Costa Rica. The bridge is a

border crossing Border control comprises measures taken by governments to monitor and regulate the movement of people, animals, and goods across land, air, and maritime borders. While border control is typically associated with international borders, it als ...

used by tourists going between destinations in Bocas del Toro and Costa Rica. The province contains two national parks,

Isla Bastimentos National Marine Park Isla Bastimentos National Marine Park (in Spanish: ''Parque Nacional Marino Isla Bastimentos'') is a marine park located in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama. The park covers 13,226 hectares. History The park has been managed and protect ...

and

La Amistad International Park La Amistad International Park, or in Spanish , formerly La Amistad National Park, is a transboundary protected area in Latin America, management of which is shared between Costa Rica ( Caribbean La Amistad and Pacific La Amistad Conservation Area ...

. The Smithsonian

Tropical Research Institute The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI, ) is located in Panama and is the only bureau of the Smithsonian Institution based outside of the United States. It is dedicated to understanding the past, present, and future of tropical ecosyst ...

operates a research station on

Colón Island Colón Island (Spanish: ''Isla Colón'') is the northernmost and main island in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago located in Bocas del Toro Province, Panama. The capital city of the province, Bocas del Toro, is located on the island and is one of ...

just northwest of Bocas Town. There are many banana plantations in Bocas del Toro, often called the ''oro verde'', or green gold of

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

History

explored the area in 1502 while searching for the passage to the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

. Columbus's original name for the island was Isla del Drago. In colonial times, Bocas del Toro was part of

Veraguas Veraguas () 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&n ...

. It was originally part of Costa Rica until, in one of many territorial disputes, Colombia took control of it with armed forces. The then government made a reservation called Bocas del Toro in 1834. In 1850, Bocas del Toro became a part of Chiriqui, then was separated from it and became part of Colon. On November 16, 1903, Bocas del Toro was separated from Colon and became its own province. In 1941, Bocas del Toro was divided into two districts, Bocas del Toro and Crimamola. Four years later, it became part of the same division as before. In 1970, Bocas del Toro district became Changuinola, the district of Bastimentos was eliminated, and three new districts were added, making the province what it is today. The districts' areas changed in 1997 when the Ngöbe-Buglé Comarca was created and again in 2020, when the

was established, which had been proposed since 2005. Demarcation of indigenous territory is continuing within the province. The province is the home of the unique

Bocas del Toro Creole Bocas del Toro Patois, or Panamanian Patois English, is a dialect of Jamaican Patois, an English-based creole, spoken in Bocas del Toro Province, Panama. It is similar to Central American varieties such as Limonese Creole. It does not have the s ...

of English.

Administrative divisions

Bocas del Toro Province is divided into four districts and 30 ''corregimientos''. On 8 June 2015 the new Almirante District was created, after splitting out from Changuinola District. ^* The area of Almirante District is included in the figure quoted for Changuinola District, from which Almirante was divided.

Geography

Climate

Bocas del Toro is a travel destination that is most known for its vibrant culture, beaches, rainforests, and surfing. It is estimated that 95% of the economy in Bocas del Toro is based on tourism. The most popular destinations in Bocas del Toro are the Zapatilla Islands, the Bastimentos National Marine Park, Starfish Beach, Red Frog Beach, Bluff Beach, and Hospital Point. The High-Season for tourism in Bocas del Toro is from November to April, which also coincides with the dry season as well as the being the best surf season. The best months to visit Bocas del Toro for dry weather are January, February, March, May, September, and October. These are statistically the driest months of the year. However, dry weather is also common in June, August, November, and even the wettest month of the year, December, can see weeks without rain. Common activities in Bocas del Toro include surfing, scuba diving, exploring bat caves, learning about the local indigenous cultures, cacao farm tours, hiking, and nightlife. Bocas del Toro is becoming famous globally for the abundance of newly constructed and affordable overwater bungalow hotels. Over the next decade, it is predicted to be a competing location to the Maldives and Tahiti for overwater bungalows.

Protected areas

The national parks in the province are

(Parque Nacional Marino Isla Bastimentos), which contains most of Isla Bastimentos and some smaller nearby islands and extends into the large nature preserve at the Red Frog Beach Island Resort, and

(Parque Internacional La Amistad), which spans the

–

border. Bocas del Toro contains most of the Panamanian section of the park, which covers . The Costa Rican section of the park covers .UNESCO La Amistad International Park overview
Retrieved: 14 June 2009.

is a designated UNESCO

World Heritage site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

Gallery

References

External links

Paraiso for Sale
2011 documentary about US immigration to Bocas, and the attendant impact on locals and indigenous peoples

* ttps://go.bocasdeltoro.travel/ Official Bocas del Toro Travel Website {{Authority control Provinces of Panama States and territories established in 1903