Bocas Town, Bocas Del Toro
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Bocas del Toro (), also known colloquially as Bocas Town, is the capital of the
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 Cos ...
nian province of Bocas del Toro and the district of Bocas del Toro. It is a town and a tourist resort located on the southern tip of
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 ...
in the
Bocas del Toro Archipelago The Bocas del Toro Archipelago is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea in the northwest of Panama. The archipelago separates Almirante Bay and Chiriquí Lagoon from the open Caribbean Sea. The archipelago is part of the Bocas del Toro District ...
in the
Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
. Bocas Town had 12,996 residents in 2008. Bocas del Toro is served by Bocas del Toro "Isla Colón" International Airport which hosts daily commuter flights from and 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 San José in neighboring
Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
.


Population and tourism

The corregimento of Bocas del Toro has a land area of and had a population of 7,366 as of 2010, giving it a population density of . Its population as of 1990 was 5,274; its population as of 2000 was 4,020. Relatively few Panamanians live on the island, opting for cheaper housing on the mainland. Mainland residents working on Colón Island travel by boat. Bocas del Toro is a popular tourist destination year-round. The town is small enough that most places are within walking distance. The streets are arranged in a grid. Avenidas (avenues) run east to west and calles (streets) run north to south.


Climate

Under the
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
, Bocas del Toro features a
tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate, humid tropical climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southea ...
. The area does not have a predictable dry season. The driest months are October, January, and March.Frommer's Panama (2E, 2009), . During the course of the year Bocas del Toro sees a copious amount of precipitation. Bocas del Toro averages of rain per year. Temperatures are consistent all year (high: , low: ). Sunrise is normally around 6 AM, and sunset is around 6 PM local time. These times vary only slightly during the year.


Transportation

Bocas del Toro is accessible by air or boat. Most visitors fly into Bocas del Toro "Isla Colón" International Airport from
Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
or
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 ...
. Ferries connect Almirante to Bocas del Toro. Buses run between
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 ...
, Almirante,
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 the
Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
n border. Islands and islets in the
Bocas del Toro Archipelago The Bocas del Toro Archipelago is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea in the northwest of Panama. The archipelago separates Almirante Bay and Chiriquí Lagoon from the open Caribbean Sea. The archipelago is part of the Bocas del Toro District ...
are accessible only by private boat or water taxi. Many small communities line the string of islands and very few have roads. Many companies provide boat service to various islands and diving spots.


Infrastructure

Bocas del Toro lacks some basic infrastructure. A generator plant provides power to the towns of Isla Colon, Carenero and Bastimentos. The community does have a waste water (sewage) treatment plant, but not the same quality as found in the United States. The town lacks a water filtration or treatment system. Both the drinking water and the sea water have very high levels of fecal form bacteria.Infrastructure development in Bocas del Toro
Retrieved 25 May 2009.


Health care

Health care is available, but facilities are limited. A public health clinic operates in town. Common medical problems include food and waterborne diseases, insect bites, sunburns, heat stress/stroke, and dehydration.


Attractions

* The Bastimentos Island National Marine Park is about a twenty-minute boat ride away, and is a major destination for ecotours. *
Isla Colon 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 ...
has numerous white sand beaches. Swimmers should be aware of dangerous
riptide A rip tide, or riptide, is a strong offshore current that is caused by the tide pulling water through an inlet along a barrier beach, at a lagoon or inland marina where tide water flows steadily out to sea during ebb tide. It is a strong tidal fl ...
s. * Scuba Diving Bocas del Toro is still relatively unknown as a dive destination. However, it offers a great diversity of aquatic life around its islands. * Surfing Bocas del Toro offers a wide range of surf spots for different levels of experience, among them Black Rock, Carenero, and Wizard Beach, as well as Bastimentos Island. November to April are considered to be peak season, as well as summertime. Bocas del Toro also hosts (inter)national surf competitions.


Notable people

*
Princess Angela of Liechtenstein Princess Angela of Liechtenstein ( es, Ángela, born Angela Gisela Brown; February 3, 1958) is a Panamanian-American fashion designer and member of the Liechtenstein princely family.''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser'' XV ...


See also

* Archaeology of Bocas del Toro


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bocas Town, Bocas Del Toro Populated places in Bocas del Toro Province Corregimientos of Bocas del Toro Province