Bocas del Toro Province, Caribbean province in northwestern Panama
Bocas del Toro is a Caribbean province in northwestern Panama that includes nine main islands and large sections of mainland rainforest. The waters around the islands are shallow and dotted with coral reefs that stretch for miles along the coast.
A European explorer sailed along the coast in the early 16th century and gave the area a name related to dragons. The region became a separate administrative unit within the new nation of Panama just over 400 years later.
Spanish settlers gave this region its name because of the calm bays along the coast where boats could shelter during storms. Fishermen paddle wooden canoes through narrow channels every morning to reach open water beyond the reefs.
Boats link the inhabited islands and travelers use these waterways almost daily to move between settlements. Trips across open water can become rough when winds pick up or waves roll in.
A cross-border national park inland preserves continuous forest that shelters hundreds of mammal and bird species. The protected area spans two countries and forms one of the most important wilderness regions in Central America.
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