Guna Yala

District

Flag

Coordinates: 9°33′N 78°58′W / 9.550°N 78.967°W

Country

Panama

Province

San Blas

Area

• Total

130 sq mi (337 km²)

Population (2000)

• Total

15,541

Time zone

ETZ (UTC-5)

ISO 3166 code

PA-KY

Guna Yala, formerly known as San Blas, is an indigenous province in northeast Panama (Official Gazette of Panama). Guna Yala is home to the indigenous group known as the Gunas. Its capital is El Porvenir. It is bounded on the north by the Caribbean Sea, on the south by the Darién Province and Emberá-Wounaan, on the east by Colombia, and on the west by the province of Colón.

Guna Yala in Kuna means "Land Guna" or "Guna Mountain". The area was formerly known as San Blas, and later as Kuna Yala, but the name was changed in October 2011 to "Guna Yala" when the Government of Panama recognized the claim of the people that "Guna" was a closer representation of the name in their mother tongue than "Kuna".

The area was the site of the conquistador stronghold of Acla, where Vasco Núñez de Balboa was tried and beheaded.

By the Colombian Act of June 4, 1870 Tulenega Shire was created, which also included the present territory of the Guna Yala district; this comprises some of the communities of the District of Wargandí such as Mordi, and Sogubdi Asnadi; the communities of the region of Madungandi including Tiuarsicuá, and Guna communities of Colombia, such as Tanela and Arquía. The land area of the Tulenega Shire stretches from the province of Colon to the Gulf of Urabá, Colombia. The head of government of the region was generally exercised by a commissioner appointed by the central government. The law also recognized the Guna, as property owners of the Shire.

After separation of Panama in 1903, was completely unknown the Act of 1870, and also the territory of the former region, was divided de facto into two parts: the majority remained in the new Republic of Panama, while a small portion remained in Colombia.

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Wikipedia