Chitré () is a city and corregimiento, the capital of the Panamanian province of Herrera. with a population of 9,092 as of 2010, and a metropolitan area population of 80,000 inhabitants. It is also the seat of Chitré District. Chitré is located about 7 km inland from the Gulf of Parita on the Azuero Peninsula. The name Chitré comes from the native tribe Chitra. In the city, there is a district, also called Chitré, which is subdivided into five corregimientos. The corregimientos are San Juan Bautista, Llano Bonito, Monagrillo, La Arena and Chitré.
History
Chitré was founded on October 19, 1848 as a parochial district (distrito parroquial). The Provincial Chamber of Panama ordered in their Article 1, inscription 4 to organize Chitre as a Parroquial District, in the County of Los Santos, this district was to include the towns of Chitré, Monagrillo and La Arena, separate from Los Santos District. Chitré's founders are said to be Ventura Solís, Matías Rodríguez, José Ríos, José María Benavidez, Ildelfonso Pérez, Blas Tello, Eugenio Barrera, José Burgos, and Carlos Rodríguez.
When Herrera Province was created in 1915, Chitré was named its capital. In 1941, during the presidency of Arnulfo Arias Madrid, Herrera Province was joined with Los Santos Province, with Chitré as the joint province's capital. During the presidency of Ricardo Adolfo de la Guardia the two provinces were again separated (as they are today), with Chitré as the provincial capital of Herrera.
On October 19, 1948, the city had a large centennial celebration. For its commemoration, a street was renamed Avenida Centenario. Its population, as of 1990, was 21,726; its population, as of 2000, was 7,756. In 2016, the city was visited by Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach of the Philippines.
Geography
The natural vegetation of the region is tropical dry forest, although most of the forest has been cut down.
Chitre has a nearby beach called Agallito. During low tide, many types of crabs come out, and thousands of birds of different species come to eat. This makes for an ideal birdwatching and photography condition. The ornithologist Francisco Delgado, discoverer of the Painted Parakeet of Azuero, resides in Chitré.
Herrera borders on the north with Cocle, on the south with Los Santos, north/northeast with Veraguas and east with the Pacific Ocean (Parita Bay). The Santa Maria river acts as a border with Cocle while the La Villa river performs the same function on the border with Los Santos. It is located on the Azuero Peninsula, place that shares with Los Santos and part of Veraguas.
The most important towns in Herrera are Chitre, Parita, Ocu, Las Minas, Los Pozos and Santa Maria in that order more or less. It is a very lively place during the yearly carnivals. Herrera, like the other central provinces, is best known for its artisanal products, in particular clay pottery. These can be found in many places along the road such as the one depicted here in the town of La Arena.
Economy and transportation
Chitré has many amenities and conveniences similar to Panama City like: hotels, restaurants with national and international food, banks, stores, internet access, multilevel malls, telecommunication systems, etc. It is one of Panama's highest developed cities and one of the most industrialized ones which provides the country and part of the continent with fuels, meats and clothes.
The city of Chitré "has become the commercial center for the central provinces of the country." Credit cards, such as Visa, MasterCard and American Express are accepted in almost every shopping mall, grocery stores, supermarkets, pharmacies, restaurants, hotels and car rental agencies.
The city has cheaper shops and markets, all located in the city's downtown, along with trading places and sale stores, it also has a plaza and some factories, of service, Heavy and touristic based industry.
In alignment with the growth of the city the Cubitá Boutique Resort & Spa is currently in construction. There will be 100 rooms in the hotel and it shares the property with 64 residential apartments, 26 houses, a Chapel and commercial plaza. The hotel expects to open its doors to the public in 2013.
There is a large regional bus terminal in Chitré; destinations include Las Minas, Las Tablas, Los Posos, Ocú, Panama City, Pesé, Santiago, and Tonosí. Chitré's small airport offers flights to Panama City on Air Panama.