DAVID, CHIRIQUI

'David, Chiriqui' is a city located in the west of Panama in the province of Chiriqui. The Pan-American Highway is a popular route to the city. It is the capital of the province of Chiriquí and has an estimated population of 124,500 inhabitants as confirmed in 2005. It also is the least poor city and area in Panama with all family and houses having the basic life requirements, such as concrete houses, clean water and energy.

Contents

History and foundation

Commerce and industrialization

Location

Notable residents

History and foundation

David was founded in 1602 by Juan López de Sequeira, by the banks of the David River (also known as the Risacua River). It was where some of the native villagers kept hidden their gold and cultives for trading with some Spanish conquerors and is today a tourist attraction and a shopping hub.

Commerce and industrialization

San José de David (official name) is Panama's third largest urban area. It functions as a hub for the province's commercial activities, mainly agriculture and cattle raising and supplies the rest of the country. It also serves as port of exports and imports with neighboring Costa Rica. It is connected to the rest of the country by the Pan-American Highway, and the Enrique Malek International Airport. It is the highest industrialized city in the country and is a hub for manufacturing, heavy industry and high technology standards and communications. It is also a hub for tourism thanks to its nightlife, entertainment, gastronomy, shopping and surfing.

Location

It is located centrally in Chiriqui province between the cities of Puerto Armuelles on the coast and Boquete in the mountains.

Notable residents

Carlos Ruiz was a baseball player for the Philadelphia Phillies and citizen of David.
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