Gulf of Urabá
The name originates from the language spoken by the Cueva, an Indigenous tribe destroyed by the conquistadors during the 16th century. The Tanela River, which flows toward Atrato, was Hispanicized to Darién; the region and its communities took the same name. Santa María la Antigua del Darién, the first city founded in Tierra Firme, also took its name from the river. Subsequently, the region's boundaries were defined by the Gulf of Urabá.