Regions of Panama
Panamá is administratively divided into nine provinces (provincias) and two territories (comarcas).
The provinces are as follows: Panamá, Chiriquí, Bocas del Toro, Coclé, Colón, Darién, Herrera, Los Santos and Veraguas.
The two independently administered territories are Ngöbe-Buglé and Kuna Yala (San Blas Islands). From a travel perspective, the political divisions are rather uninteresting, so we have divided Panama into the 5 travel regions that you visit on a trip.
The five regions in Panama:
Panama City, the canal and the surrounding area: This also includes the Panama Canal, although of course it extends to the central Caribbean coast
The Central Caribbean: This is the beginning (or end) of the canal to the Caribbean and the provincial capital of Colón. There are wonderful beaches and bays south of Colón
The central Pacific: still easy to reach from the capital, you will find the central Pacific coast, which merges into the Azuero peninsula in the southwest
West Panama: This includes the provinces of Veraguas, Chiriquí and Bocas del Toro. West Panama borders Costa Rica
Eastern Panama: the wild and undeveloped east includes the wild province of Darién, which extends to the Colombian border, and the undeveloped Comarca de San Blas
The most important cities in Panama are as follows - more information can be found in the respective regional chapters:
- Panama City - capital
- David - capital of Chririquí province
- Colón - capital of the Colón province of the same name
- Santiago - capital of the province of Veraguas
