Boca Chica, Chiriquí

Boca Chica
Town and corregimiento
Boca Chica
Coordinates: 8°13′N 82°13′W / 8.217°N 82.217°WCoordinates: 8°13′N 82°13′W / 8.217°N 82.217°W
Country	Panama
Province	Chiriquí
District	San Lorenzo
Area[1]
• Land	88 km^2 (34 sq mi)
Population (2010)[1]
• Total	441
• Density	5/km^2 (10/sq mi)
	Population density calculated based on land area.
Time zone	EST (UTC−5)

Boca Chica is a town and corregimiento in San Lorenzo District, Chiriquí Province, Panama. It has a land area of 88 square kilometres (34 sq mi) and had a population of 441 as of 2010, giving it a population density of 5 inhabitants per square kilometre (13/sq mi).^[1] Its population as of 1990 was 171; its population as of 2000 was 291.^[1]

There is only one road (paved in 2008) to this town and it ends at the estuary of the Pedregal River with the island of Boca Brava just across the water. Boca Chica is the main jumping off point for the islands in the Gulf of Chiriquí. The village is known for its sport fishing (black marlin, dorado and tuna are abundant) and many businesses in the area are geared toward that activity.

Boca Chica is the home to the Annual International Jigging and Popping Tournament (the first held on June 11, 2009) where the winner took in a 130 lb. yellowfin tuna for a $10,000 prize^[2]

Its popularity as a prime fishing destination has attracted a number of developers to the Boca Chica area, including Viva Tropical who has renamed nearby Isla Muerto (Island of the Dead) and is developing the island under the name Boca Chica Island. As a result, a growing expat population has been established in recent years.

References

1. "Cuadro 11 (Superficie, población y densidad de población en la República...)" [Table 11 (Area, population, and population density in the Republic...)] (.xls). In "Resultados Finales Básicos" [Basic Final Results] (in Spanish). National Institute of Statistics and Census of Panama. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
2. Sportfish Magazine.