Present-day country
Panama
7 nations list Panama among their present-day countries.
Present-day countries are listed by ISO 3166 names. Many nations live across more than one.
7 nations
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Bribri
Also known as Bri bri
Lands The Talamanca mountains of southern Costa Rica, on both the Caribbean (Limón) and Pacific (Puntarenas) sides, with smaller communities in Bocas del Toro, Panama
Bribri communities also live in Panama, where the 2023 census counted 766 Bribri people.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censo (INEC), Panama (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Buglé
Lands The Ngäbe-Buglé comarca and nearby areas of Bocas del Toro and Veraguas in western Panama
Panama's 2023 census counted 23,898 Buglé people; about 12,000 of them live in the Ngäbe-Buglé comarca, which they share with the Ngäbe.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censo (INEC), Panama (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Emberá
Lands The Emberá-Wounaan comarca and collective lands in Darién and eastern Panama, and the Pacific and Chocó regions of Colombia
Panama's 2023 census counted 51,657 Emberá people.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censo (INEC), Panama (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Guna
Also known as Gunadule
Lands Gunayala on Panama's Caribbean coast and islands, plus Madungandí and Wargandí in Panama and communities in northwestern Colombia
Gunayala's 49 communities govern themselves together through the Guna General Congress, their highest political and administrative body for land, resources and education.
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Naso Tjër Di
Also known as Naso
Lands The Naso Tjër Di comarca along the Teribe River in Bocas del Toro, northwestern Panama, near the Costa Rican border
Panama's 2023 census counted 5,568 people who identify as Naso.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censo (INEC), Panama (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Ngäbe
Also known as Ngöbe
Lands The Ngäbe-Buglé comarca in western Panama (parts of Bocas del Toro, Chiriquí and Veraguas), nearby lands in Panama, and Ngäbe territories in southern Costa Rica
Panama's 2023 census counted 444,878 Ngäbe people.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censo (INEC), Panama (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Wounaan
Also known as Waunana
Lands Darién and eastern Panama, including the Emberá-Wounaan comarca and collective lands, and the San Juan River region of Colombia
Wounaan forest technicians map illegal clearing with smartphone apps and GIS, and communities bring that evidence to the Wounaan National Congress.
Source: Yale Environment 360, Yale School of the Environment (opens in a new tab) Checked