| Colón Province | |
| Native Name: | Provincia de Colón |
| Native Name Lang: | es |
| Settlement Type: | Province |
| Coordinates: | 9.1667°N -90°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Panama |
| Seat Type: | Capital city |
| Seat: | Colón |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Date: | 1855 |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Total Km2: | 4575.5 |
| Population Total: | 281,956 |
| Population As Of: | 2023 census |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Note: | official estimate[1] |
| Demographics Type1: | GDP (PPP, constant 2015 values) |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Year |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 2023 |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Total |
| Demographics1 Info2: | $7.6 billion[2] |
| Demographics1 Title3: | Per capita |
| Demographics1 Info3: | $27,100 |
| Timezone1: | Eastern Time |
| Utc Offset1: | -5 |
| Iso Code: | PA-3 |
| Blank Name Sec1: | HDI (2017) |
| Blank Info Sec1: | 0.799[3] |
Colón (pronounced as /es/) is a province of Panama. The capital is the city of Colón. It covers an area of 4,575.5 km2, and the population (in 2023) is 281,956.[4] [5]
This province has traditionally been focused on commerce (through the Colón Free Zone, Panama Canal, and its banking activities), but also has natural resources that are being developed as a tourist attraction, such as coral reefs and rainforests. During the Spanish colonial period, the Colon region of Panama was the center of trade, commerce, and overall economy for the Spanish. They imported many black African slaves to this area to work in Panama and to ship to other Spaniard colonies.
Most of the black population in Panama is centered in the Province of Colon. Panama has two distinct groups of black people. The first and earliest black people were those who came as slaves as early as the fifteenth century, through much of the nineteenth century. They are of mixed African and Spanish descent. This group is known as Cimarrones, Afro Colonials, Nativos, Playeros, Congos. These terms have proven crucial in establishing that these are the first and original black people of the Republic of Panama. Afro Colonials have held on to their culture and adopted Hispanic customs, traits, and cultures. They took and assumed Spanish names and surnames. They also developed the beginning of Panama's black population and culture, in pure and mixed forms. They have been incorporated into Panamanian and Spanish-speaking society, as a result.
In the nineteenth century, beginning as early as the 1840s, black people from the Caribbean and West Indies immigrated to Panama to assist to build the Panama Railway and the Panama Canal. Later many black people from all over the Caribbean and West Indies, especially from Jamaica and Barbados, settled here between the years of 1880 and 1901 to build the Panama Canal. Many later settled in the Colon Province. This group of Caribbean and/or West Indian origin are called Afro Antillanos by the Hispanic Panamanians. They have assimilated to the Hispanic culture and Panama as well as holding on to aspects of their descent and culture. They have influenced the cuisine and music of Panama. Most importantly, their influence on music, especially from those of Jamaican descent invented and created Reggae en Español.
Since the creation of Omar Torrijos Herrera District in 2018, Colón Province is divided into six districts (distritos) which are subdivided into 42 corregimientos.
| District | Area (km2) | Population Estimate 2010[6] | Population Census 2023[7] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chagres | 445 | 10,282 | 10,968 | ||
| Colón | 1,180 | 218,604 | 240,722 | Contains city of Colón | |
| Donoso | 1,627 | 13,165 | 12,274 | Western part of Province | |
| Omar Torrijos Herrera | 199 | – | 3,561 | Formerly part of Donoso | |
| Portobelo | 397 | 9,382 | 10,320 | ||
| Santa Isabel | 727 | 3,530 | 4,111 | Eastern part of Province |
1 – These corregimientos make up Colón City.