Bocas del Toro Province

Bocas del Toro Province Provincia de Bocas del Toro
Province
Flag
Location of Bocas del Toro in Panama
Coordinates (Seat of Government): 9°20′26″N 82°14′26″W / 9.34056°N 82.24056°W / 9.34056; -82.24056Coordinates: 9°20′26″N 82°14′26″W / 9.34056°N 82.24056°W / 9.34056; -82.24056
Country	Panama
Founded	1903
Capital	Bocas del Toro
Area
• Total	4,657.2 km2 (1,798.2 sq mi)
Population (2010 census)
• Total	125,461
• Density	27/km2 (70/sq mi)
	Census
Time zone	Eastern Time (UTC-5)
ISO 3166 code	PA-1
Website	bocasdeltoro.com
Google Earth, Statiods

Bocas del Toro (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈbokaz ðel ˈtoɾo]; meaning "Mouths of the Bull") is a province of Panama. Its area is 4,643.9 square kilometers, comprising the mainland and nine main islands. The province consists of the Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Bahía Almirante (Almirante Bay), Laguna de Chiriquí (Chiriquí Lagoon), and adjacent mainland. The capital is the city of Bocas del Toro (or Bocas Town) on Isla Colón (Colón Island). Other major cities or towns include Almirante and Changuinola. The province has a population of 125,461 as of 2010.

Christopher Columbus and his crew first visited the area in 1502. Bocas del Toro borders the Caribbean Sea to the north, Limón Province of Costa Rica to the west, Chiriquí Province to the south, and Ngöbe-Buglé Comarca to the east. The Río Sixaola forms part of the border with Costa Rica. An old railroad bridge spans the river between Guabito and Sixaola, Costa Rica. The bridge is a border crossing used by tourists going between destinations in Bocas del Toro and Costa Rica.

The province contains two national parks, Isla Bastimentos National Marine Park and La Amistad International Park. The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute operates a research station on Colón Island 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.

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