Coclé Province
Encyclopedia
Coclé is a province of central Panama
on the nation's southern coast. The 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 presidency of Dr. Justo de Arosemena. It became a province, Decretory Number 190, on October 20, 1985. Coclé is primarily an agricultural area, with sugar and tomatoes as major crops. The province has a number of well known beaches, such as Santa Clara
, Farallon and Rio Hato, and tourist activity has increased in recent years. It has a population of 233,708 habitants (2010).
times, the area of Panama which today includes Coclé province had a number of identifiable native cultures. Archaeologists
have loosely designated these cultures by pottery
style. The poorly studied La Mula period ranged from 150 BC to AD 300. It was followed by the Tonosi period, from AD 300 to AD 550, and by the Cubita period, from AD 550 to AD 700. A unified Native American
culture appears to have flourished in this area from approximately 1200 BC until the 16th century.
s:
where ongoing field research and conservation education is conducted. Parque Nacional General de División Omar Torrijos Herrera, established around the crash site of former Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos
, is located in the northeastern portion of Coclé. Parque Omar, as it is known, enjoys some legal protection as a national park
.
Coclé is also home to APROVACA
orchid conservation center, which conducts orchid conservation activities, including orchid reintroduction into the wild and a sponsorship program for the Panamanian national flower Peristeria elata
.
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
on the nation's southern coast. The capital is the city of Penonomé
Penonomé
Penonomé is the capital of the Panamanian province of Coclé. The town is located along the Inter-American Highway in the wide, flat lowlands of central Coclé....
. This province was created by the Act of September 12, 1855 with the title of Department of Coclé during the presidency of Dr. Justo de Arosemena. It became a province, Decretory Number 190, on October 20, 1985. Coclé is primarily an agricultural area, with sugar and tomatoes as major crops. The province has a number of well known beaches, such as Santa Clara
Santa Clara, Coclé
Santa Clara is a beach town in Coclé Province, Panama. The settlement is a small fishing village with tourist lodgings and Panamanians' weekend homes. It is located just off the Inter-American Highway, 11 km southwest of the El Valle turnoff and 100 km southwest of Panama City. The closest town is...
, Farallon and Rio Hato, and tourist activity has increased in recent years. It has a population of 233,708 habitants (2010).
Pre-Columbian Coclé
During pre-ColumbianPre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
times, the area of Panama which today includes Coclé province had a number of identifiable native cultures. Archaeologists
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
have loosely designated these cultures by pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
style. The poorly studied La Mula period ranged from 150 BC to AD 300. It was followed by the Tonosi period, from AD 300 to AD 550, and by the Cubita period, from AD 550 to AD 700. A unified Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
culture appears to have flourished in this area from approximately 1200 BC until the 16th century.
Districts
The province is divided into six districtDistrict
Districts are a type of administrative division, in some countries managed by a local government. They vary greatly in size, spanning entire regions or counties, several municipalities, or subdivisions of municipalities.-Austria:...
s:
- AguadulceAguadulce DistrictAguadulce District is a district of Coclé Province in Panama. The population according to the 2000 census was 39,290. The district covers a total area of 466 km²...
. CorregimientoCorregimientoCorregimiento is a term used in Colombia to define a subdivision of Colombian departments. According to the Colombian Constitution of 1991 and Decree 2274 of October 4, 1991, Corregimiento is an internal part of a Department or province, which includes a population core...
s include AguadulceAguadulce, CocléAguadulce is an agricultural city in the Coclé province in Panama. It is the capital of Aguadulce District and it is located on the Pan-American Highway, near but not on the coast on the Bahia de Parita.-References and agriculture:...
(capital), El CristoEl CristoNanda Kommineni is a town in the Coclé Province of Panama, one of the oldest towns in the region. First, in pre-Columbian times it was inhabited by an aboriginal community for a period of several centuries. According to studies by the archaeologist Cook, this community is similar to the...
, El RobleEl RobleEl Roble is a town in the Coclé province of Panama.- Sources :* – World-Gazetteer.com...
, PocríPocríPocrí is a town in the Coclé province of Panama.- Sources :* – World-Gazetteer.com...
and Barrios Unidos.
- AntónAntón DistrictAntón District is a district of Coclé Province in Panama. The population according to the 2000 census was 44,039.The district covers a total area of 749 km²...
. Corregimientos include AntónAntónAntón is a town in the Coclé province of Panama. It is located near to the north-western shore of the Gulf of Panama.- Sources :* – World-Gazetteer.com...
(capital), Cabuya, El Chirú, El Retiro, El ValleEl ValleEl Valle is a town in the Hato Mayor province of the Dominican Republic.- References :** Main street name: Maria Trinidad Sanchez.** Rivers names : El Sano,Jaguera and Janigua....
, Juan Díaz, Río HatoRío HatoRío Hato is a town in the Coclé province of Panama.- Sources :* – World-Gazetteer.com...
, San Juan de Dios, Santa Rita and Caballero.
- La PintadaLa Pintada DistrictLa Pintada District is a district of Coclé Province in Panama. The population according to the 2000 census was 23,202.The district covers a total area of 1024 km²...
. Corregimientos include La PintadaLa Pintada, PanamaLa Pintada is a town of 3,700 people in Coclé Province, Panama.The town is located in the hills 13 km northwest of Penonomé. The Coclé del Sur River runs along the edge of the town. Two kilometers from the town are located a variety of pre-Columbian petroglyphs.The factory for the cigar brand...
(capital), El Harino, El Potrero, Llano Grande, Piedras Gordas and Las Lomas.
- NatáNatá DistrictNatá District is a district of Coclé Province in Panama. The population according to the 2000 census was 17,811.The district covers a total area of 608 km²...
. Corregimientos include NatáNataNata is a small village in the Paphos area of southwest Cyprus. It is a small relatively unspoilt traditional village situated on the south-eastern hillside of the Xeros River Valley with approximately 300 residents that is slowly growing due to the number of foreigners wanting to live there. The...
(capital), CapellaníaCapellanía- Sources :* – World-Gazetteer.com...
, El CañoEl CañoEl Caño is a town in the Coclé province of Panama. It is named after Juan Sebastián Elcano, the Spanish Basque explorer who completed the first circumnavigation of the world....
, Guzmán, Las Huacas and Toza.
- OláOlá DistrictOlá District is a district of Coclé Province in Panama. The population according to the 2000 census was 5,671.The district covers a total area of 381 km²...
. Corregimientos include OláOláOlá is a town in the Coclé province of Panama. It is also the Portuguese word 'Olá' which means hello.- Sources :* – World-Gazetteer.com...
(capital), El CopéEl CopéEl Copé is a town in the Coclé province of Panama. La MICA Biological Station is located nearby.- Sources :* – World-Gazetteer.com...
, El Palmar, El Picacho and La Pava.
- PenonoméPenonomé DistrictPenonomé District is a district of Coclé Province in Panama. The population according to the 2000 census was 72,448.The district covers a total area of 1700 km²...
. Corregimientos include PenonoméPenonoméPenonomé is the capital of the Panamanian province of Coclé. The town is located along the Inter-American Highway in the wide, flat lowlands of central Coclé....
(capital), Cañaveral, Coclé, Chiguirí ArribaChiguirí Arriba- Sources :* – World-Gazetteer.com...
, El Coco, Pajonal, Río Grande, Río IndioRio IndioThe Rio Indio is a river in the U.S. commonwealth of Puerto Rico....
, ToabréToabréToabré is a village in the Manni Department of Gnagna Province in eastern Burkina Faso. The village has a population of 990.-External links:*...
and TulúTüluA Tülu Camel is a breed of camel that results from mating a male Bactrian camel with a female Dromedary. This breed is sometimes called an F1 Hybrid Camel. The resulting camel is larger than either a Bactrian or a Dromedary, and has traditionally been used as a draft animal. This breed of camel...
.
Research and Conservation
Coclé is host to La MICA Biological StationLa MICA Biological Station
La MICA Biological Station is a biological field station near Parque Nacional General de División Omar Torrijos Herrera in El Copé, Coclé Province, Republic of Panama. La MICA was established in 2007 by Julie M. Ray, a Ph.D. student from Old Dominion University studying Panamanian snakes .-...
where ongoing field research and conservation education is conducted. Parque Nacional General de División Omar Torrijos Herrera, established around the crash site of former Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos
Omar Torrijos
Omar Efraín Torrijos Herrera was the Commander of the Panamanian and National Guard and the de facto leader of Panama from 1968 to 1981...
, is located in the northeastern portion of Coclé. Parque Omar, as it is known, enjoys some legal protection as a national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
.
Coclé is also home to APROVACA
APROVACA
APROVACA is a non-profit organization established to conserve and protect native orchids in El Valle de Antón, Panama....
orchid conservation center, which conducts orchid conservation activities, including orchid reintroduction into the wild and a sponsorship program for the Panamanian national flower Peristeria elata
Peristeria elata
Peristeria elata is a species of orchid occurring from Central America to Ecuador and Venezuela. It is the type species of its genus.-Description:...
.
External links
- APROVACA Orchid Conservation Center
- Coclé Archaeological Sites
- Sito Conte On-Line Collection, University of Pennsylvania Museum
- Pre-Columbian Gold artifacts from the Cocle Province
- Pre-Columbian Jade artifacts from the Cocle Province
- Pre-Columbian Stone artifacts from Cocle
- Pre-Columbian Pottery from Cocle
- Listing of Additional Archaeological Websites