The Darien region, with a total land surface of 16,803 km², is the largest province in Panama, the most sparsely populated, and the least well known. It is a region of dense tropical rainforest. Its indigenous population of Embeni, Wounaan, and Kuna live in settlements scattered along the numerous river valleys; their villages are interspersed with communities of the descendants of escaped slaves from Africa, called Darienitas.