Coclé Province

Coclé is a province of Panama. The province is in central Panama on the southern coast along the Pacific Ocean. The provincial capital is the city of Penonomé.
History.
This province was created in 1855 with the name of Department of Coclé, during the presidency of Justo de Arosemena. Its name was changed to province on 20 October 1985.
Location.
The Coclé province borders the Colón province to the north, the Panamá Oeste province to the east, the Pacific Ocean and the Herrera province to the south and the Veraguas province to the west.
Geography.
The Coclé province has an area of .
The "Cordillera Central" ("Central Mountain range) is in the northern part of the province and divides the province in two drainage basins; to the north, the rivers flow to the Caribbean Sea but to the south of the mountain range the rivers flow to the Pacific Ocean.
In the southern part of the province there is a large plain that gets to the Pacific coast.
Protected areas.
In the northeast of the province is the Parque Nacional General de División Omar Torrijos Herrera, a national park.
Demographics.
The people of the province are known as "Coclesanos" (women:"Coclesanas").
The Coclé province had a population, in 2010, of 233,708, for a population density of inhabitants/km2.
Evolution of the population in Coclé province
Administrative divisions.
The Coclé province is divided in six districts, which are divided into 44 "corregimientos".
Economy.
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.