Darien

Former name for the Panama isthmus as a whole, and still the name of an eastern province of Panama's nine provinces; area 16,803 sq km/6,488 sq mi; population (1995 est) 47,800. The capital of the province is La Palma; other towns include Yaviza and El Real. The Gulf of Darien, part of the Caribbean Sea, lies between Panama and Colombia. The Darien Gap is the complex of swamp, jungle, and ravines, which long prevented the linking of the North and South American sections of the Pan-American Highway, stretching about 300 km/200 mi between Canitas, Panama, and Chigorodo, Colombia. At the Colombian end is the Great Atrato Swamp, 60 km/35 mi across and over 300 m/1,000 ft deep. The final link across the Darien Gap has still not been completed, because of lack of capital, engineering obstacles, and political problems.

The Darien Expedition was a Scottish attempt to colonize the isthmus 1698-99, which failed disastrously owing to the climate and Spanish hostility. Place names such as Punta de Escoces and Caledonia Bay recall the attempted Scottish settlement. The British Trans-Americas Expedition, led by John Blashford-Snell, made the first motorized crossing in 1972.

Darien

Town in Fairfield County, southwest Connecticut; population (1990) 18,196. It adjoins Stamford, on Long Island Sound. Darien is an affluent suburb, many of whose residents commute to New York City; it has some corporate headquarters, and recreational facilities include boating harbours and beaches. Noroton and Noroton Heights towns are within the township. Settled in 1640, it was part of Stamford until 1773.

Darien

Town in Du Page County, northeast Illinois; population (1990) 18,341. It is situated 32 km/20 mi southwest of Chicago city centre. A residential community, it is immediately north of Argonne National Laboratory.