Almirante is the head city of
Almirante District
Almirante is a district (''distrito'') of Bocas del Toro Province in Panama. It was created by Law 39 on 8 June 2015, in which it was split off from Changuinola District
Changuinola is a district (''distrito'') of Bocas del Toro Province in Pana ...
of the
Bocas del Toro Province
Bocas del Toro (; meaning "Mouth 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 B ...
in the Republic of
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...
. Its name is Spanish for
admiral.
History
Almirante was built by the
United Fruit Company
The United Fruit Company (now Chiquita) was an American multinational corporation that traded in tropical fruit (primarily bananas) grown on Latin American plantations and sold in the United States and Europe. The company was formed in 1899 fro ...
at the beginning of the 20th century as a port for its banana exports, the area consisted of landfills on swamps; host UFCO main offices until the year 1970.
Its first settlers were mostly black Jamaicans and the Lesser Antilles who moved to work on the banana plantations in the early 1900s.
Due to the importance of the port of Almirante, it also attracted Chinese, Hindu and Jewish merchants in the early 1950s; Since 2002, a massive migration of Chinese entered the entire province, so it is normal to see them in their businesses.
Almirante was hit by a strong
earthquake
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...
on April 22, 1991, wooden houses were mostly destroyed, so the Government decided to build new houses on the outskirts.
Geography
Almirante has a land area of and average altitude of 15 meters; and it´s
surrounded by the Ambrossian Bight with calm waters.
Demographics
Population of 12,731 as of 2010, giving it a population density of .
[ Its population as of 1990 was 11,584; its population as of 2000 was 12,430.]
Since Bocas del Toro Province has a vast indigenous population, they also migrated to Almirante replacing blacks as the major ethnic group.
Spoken languages are: English, Spanish, native indigenous languages and '' Guari-Guari''.
Locations
* Wards: Barriada Aeropuerto, Barriada Guaymí, Barriada San Agustín, Barrio Francés, Las Golondrinas, Las Vegas, Media Milla, Una Milla y Zegla.
* Villages: Milla 3, Milla 5, Miraflores, Nuevo Paraíso, Ojo de Agua and Río Oeste.
* Interest sites: Port of Almirante, "Sea Wall" area, Cincuentenario Park, Catholic Church, Anglican Church and Ojo de Agua mountain village.
As result of the creation of the District of Almirante in 2015, neighborhoods and nearby communities were combined to form new corregimientos of the district.
Economic activity
Currently the main economic activities are agricultural: cocoa crops, bananas and livestock; operations in the Port of Almirante have been reduced to a minimum, causing many to move to Panama City or mining projects in Coclé Province
Coclé () is a province of central Panama on the nation's southern coast. The administrative capital is the city of Penonomé. This province was created by the Act of September 12, 1855 with the title of Department of Coclé during the presidenc ...
in search of new job sources.
In 2010, a hydroelectric plant operated by AES was built in the mountainous area of Almirante District, which has little impact on the city's economy.
Transportation
Roads
Main roads around the city:
* Almirante - Changuinola
* Almirante - Rambala
* Almirante - Las Millas - Changuinola (former railway)
* Almirante - Ojo de Agua - Charco de la Pava Way
Ports
* Port Almirante (operated by Chiquita
Chiquita Brands International Sàrl (), formerly known as Chiquita Brands International Inc. and United Fruit Co., is a Swiss-domiciled American producer and distributor of bananas and other produce. The company operates under a number of ...
Panamá).
* Port of Almirante (Ferry dock for 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 Pan ...
).
* Water taxis stations (3).
Bus terminals
* Sincotavecop Terminal (located in the center of the city, for buses to 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 ...
and nearby communities).
* Tranceibosa Terminal (located on the outskirts of the city, in the area known as "El Cruce"), for buses to Panama City
Panama City ( es, Ciudad de Panamá, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or Panamá in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is locat ...
and David
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
.
For travelers, Almirante is mainly a jumping-off point for land travel to other cities on the mainland, Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...
or Costa Rica. It is an approximately 30-minute water taxi
A water taxi or a water bus is a watercraft used to provide public or private transport, usually, but not always, in an urban environment. Service may be scheduled with multiple stops, operating in a similar manner to a bus, or o ...
ride from 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 Pan ...
.
private shuttle services to Boquete. Additionally shuttle services exist between Puerto Viejo de Talamanca
Puerto Viejo de Talamanca is a coastal town in Talamanca in Limón Province in southeastern Costa Rica, known simply as Puerto Viejo to locals. The town was originally called Old Harbour until the Costa Rican government institutionalized Spanis ...
and Bocas del Toro passing through Almirante.
Railways
The United Fruit Company and later Chiquita operated a now-abandoned narrow gauge railway that transported bananas between Changuonola plantations and Port Almirante.
Sports
Venues
* Basketball court in Una Milla, (roofed).
* Soccer pitch in Barrio Francés, (artificial turf)
* Soccer pitch in Miraflores, (artificial turf)
* Soccer pitch in Nuevo Paraiso, (artificial turf)
* Baseball Stadium ''Myric'', (natural grass, ongoing reconstructionConstrucción de estadio de béisbol por $5 millones
Centralamericadata.com ).
Sports figures
* Fernando Seguignol
Fernando Alfredo Seguignol Garcia (born January 19, 1975) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and outfielder. Seguignol also played eight years in Nippon Professional Baseball. A switch hitter, Seguignol is regarded as the best swi ...
, former professional baseball player.
* Ivan Murrell, was a former professional baseball player.
* Ruthford "Chico" Salmon, was a former professional baseball player.
References
External links
World Gazeteer: Panama
– World-Gazetteer.com
{{Bocas del Toro Province
Populated places in Bocas del Toro Province