# Balboa

> town in Panama

**Wikidata**: [Q2078026](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2078026)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balboa,_Panama)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/balboa

## Summary
Balboa is a town and city located within the Panamá Province of Panama. Situated near the Panama Canal, it serves as a recognized human settlement and is administratively twinned with Paita. The entity is cataloged internationally under the UN/LOCODE PABLB and appears in numerous global geographic and library databases.

## Key Facts
- **Classification**: Instance of a city (defined as a large human settlement).
- **Location**: 
  - Country: Panama
  - Administrative Region: Panamá Province
  - Water Body: Located in or next to the Panama Canal.
  - Coordinates: 8.9571238°N, -79.5593405°W
- **International Identifiers**: 
  - UN/LOCODE: PABLB
  - GeoNames ID: 3714426
  - Where On Earth ID (WOEID): 154826
  - FAST ID: 1218473
  - GNS Unique Feature ID: -157006
- **Library & Authority IDs**: 
  - Library of Congress Authority ID: n82024578
  - VIAF ID: 141911397
  - WorldCat Entities ID: E39PBJfh9jqMcJV46FFqGGQjG3
- **Sister City**: Twinned with Paita.

## FAQs
**Where is Balboa geographically located?**
Balboa is situated in the Panamá Province of Panama. It lies at coordinates 8.9571238, -79.5593405 and is located in or adjacent to the Panama Canal.

**What administrative relationships does Balboa have?**
Balboa is officially twinned with the administrative body of Paita. It is classified as a city and falls under the jurisdiction of the Panamá Province in the country of Panama.

**How is Balboa recognized in international systems?**
Balboa is identified by the United Nations Code for Trade and Transport Locations (UN/LOCODE) as PABLB. It also holds numerous identifiers in academic and geographic databases, including GeoNames (3714426) and the Library of Congress (n82024578).

## Why It Matters
Balboa serves as a documented point of interest within Panama, specifically noted for its proximity to the Panama Canal, a critical international waterway. Its inclusion in major bibliographic and geographic authorities—such as the Virtual International Authority File (VIAF), the Library of Congress, and Encyclopædia Britannica—underscores its standing as a recognized location for administrative, historical, and navigational purposes. The existence of a specific UN/LOCODE (PABLB) further highlights its relevance in global trade and logistics frameworks.

## Notable For
- **Canal Proximity**: Being located in or directly next to the Panama Canal.
- **Global Cataloging**: Possessing a comprehensive set of identifiers across major knowledge graphs, including Wikidata, Freebase (/m/02lztc), and the BBC Things database.
- **Linguistic Presence**: Having Wikipedia articles available in 19 languages, including English, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, and Arabic.
- **Visual Documentation**: Being associated with the "Panama Canal Administration Building" in visual databases, suggesting administrative significance.

## Body

### Geography and Location
Balboa is geographically positioned in the country of Panama within the Panamá Province. The specific geographic coordinates are latitude 8.9571238 and longitude -79.5593405. A defining characteristic of its location is its position immediately adjacent to, or within, the Panama Canal. This placement links the town inextricably to the waterway's operations and history.

### Administrative Status and Relations
The entity is defined as an "instance of city," categorized broadly as a large human settlement. Administratively, Balboa maintains a "twinning" relationship with Paita, connecting the two regions through a formal administrative link. The town is referenced in travel contexts via a page banner image hosted on Wikimedia Commons.

### Global Database and Directory Identifiers
Balboa is extensively indexed in international databases, reflecting its global recognition:
- **Logistics & Navigation**: It is assigned the UN/LOCODE **PABLB** and the GeoNames ID **3714426**. It also holds a Who's On First ID (**1141908519**) and a Yahoo! WOEID (**154826**).
- **Library & Academia**: The location is cataloged in the Library of Congress under authority ID **n82024578** and the Virtual International Authority File (VIAF) under **141911397**. It appears in the Encyclopædia Britannica Online as "place/Balboa" and in the Great Russian Encyclopedia Online (2017) with ID **1848161**. Further academic references include the Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana (ID: balboa-1) and a Yale Lux ID.
- **Digital & Knowledge Graphs**: In the digital sphere, Balboa is tracked via Freebase ID **/m/02lztc**, BBC Things ID **a171a61f-6aca-402d-9419-9e898a66377e**, and a National Library of Israel J9U ID. It also has a presence on the Google Play Store (Store ID: Balboa).

### Linguistic and Online Presence
The town's Wikipedia entry has a sitelink count of 22, indicating moderate digital connectivity. The content is available in a diverse array of languages, including Cebuano, Chinese, German, French, Italian, Lithuanian, Urdu, and Swedish, among others. Commons categories and specific page banners exist for visual identification on knowledge platforms.

## References

1. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
2. Flickr Shapefiles Public Dataset 2.0
3. GeoNames
4. BBC Things
5. [Source](https://service.unece.org/trade/locode/pa.htm)
6. National Library of Israel Names and Subjects Authority File