Panama
The Central American country of Panama links the continents of North and South America. Because of this location, Panama is one of the most important transportation hubs in the world. The Panama Canal, which cuts through the country, is a vital waterway for ships traveling between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The capital of Panama is Panama City.
Panama is the southernmost part of the isthmus, or narrow strip of land, that connects North and South America. Because the country curves and extends mainly from east to west, its borders and seacoasts are not in the directions where they might be expected to be. Costa Rica, in Central America, lies to the east, while Colombia, in South America, lies to the west. The Caribbean Sea, an extension of the Atlantic Ocean, lies to the north, and the Pacific Ocean is to the south. More than 1,600 offshore islands, mostly on the Pacific side, are part of the country. Altogether Panama covers an area of 29,157 square miles (75,517 square kilometers).
Tall volcanic mountains extend from east to west across almost the whole central part of Panama. The two main ranges are the Cordillera de San Blas in the east and the Tabasará Mountains in the west. The country's highest peak, at 11,401 feet (3,475 meters), is the inactive volcano Barú in the west. Central Panama is a lowland region. It is the site of the Panama Canal, one of the greatest engineering works of the 20th century. Before the canal was built, ships had to travel all the way around the southern tip of South America to pass between the Atlantic and the Pacific. Panama has about 500 rivers, most of which flow from the mountains. The climate is mostly tropical and rainy, with warm days and cool nights throughout the year.
The northwestern portion of Panama and much of its eastern half are covered by tropical rain forests. On the country's border with Colombia lies Darién National Park, which is a huge unspoiled rain forest. It was named a World Heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The Pacific side of the country, which receives less rainfall than the Caribbean side, has grasslands.
Because of its location between North and South America, Panama is home to a rich mixture of animals that are native to both continents. The country's wildlife includes such South American animals as sloths, anteaters, and armadillos. Jaguars, tapirs, and deer came to the country from North America. The rain forests shelter a great variety of birds. Among them are the beautiful quetzal and many types of hummingbirds, parrots, and flycatchers.
The population of Panama is a diverse mix of the ethnic groups that have come to the country throughout the centuries. Native Americans were the first people to live in the region. Spanish colonists arrived in the 16th century, and they brought people from Africa to the area as slaves. In the 19th and 20th centuries people from North America, Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean islands came to Panama to work on railroads and the Panama Canal. Today the majority of the people are mestizo, or a mixture of European and Native American ancestry. Many other people are of African or mixed African heritage. The rest of the population is European, Native American, or Asian.
Spanish is the official and most commonly spoken language in Panama. English and Native American languages are also used. Most of the people are Christian, with Roman Catholics being the main group. Some people practice Santería, a religion that mixes Catholic and West African beliefs.
The most populated part of Panama is the broad coast-to-coast strip of land where the Panama Canal is located. The land there is the lowest in the country. Panama City, the capital, is located on the Pacific coast just east of the canal. The next largest cities, San Miguelito and Tocumen, are part of the Panama City urban area.
The Panama Canal makes Panama's economy unique in Central America. Services related to the canal, including trade and banking, are the largest part of the economy by far. Tourism is another major service industry.
Agriculture is less important to the economy in Panama than it is elsewhere in Central America. The main farm products include sugarcane, bananas, rice, plantains, corn (maize), and oranges. Cattle, pigs, and poultry are raised. Shrimps are the most valuable product of Panama's fishing industry. Bananas and shrimps are the country's leading exports.
Many of the factories in Panama are dedicated to processing agricultural products. Oil refining and the production of natural gas and electricity are also important industries. Other major manufactured products include clothing, shoes and leather goods, and cement.
Hundreds of thousands of Native Americans lived in the land that is now Panama when Spanish explorers arrived in 1501. The Spanish established their first successful settlements there in 1510. In 1513 Vasco Núñez de Balboa crossed the isthmus and became the first European to see the Pacific Ocean from the Americas. Afterward the Spanish crossed the land frequently on their way to their colonies in western South America. During the colonial period many of the Indians were killed by the Spanish. Others died of diseases brought from Europe by the newcomers.
Panama became a center of trade and a favorite target for English raiders known as buccaneers (see pirates). Their raids destroyed a number of Spanish settlements in the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1821 Panama achieved independence from Spain and joined a new union called Gran Colombia, which also included present-day Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. When the union broke up in 1830, Panama remained part of Colombia.
To take advantage of Panama's important location, the United States built a railroad across the country in the mid-19th century. The completion of the railroad in 1855 encouraged people who wanted to build a canal to connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
In 1903 the Colombian government rejected a treaty that would have given the United States the right to control a strip of land surrounding the proposed canal. In response, the United States supported a revolutionary military group opposed to Colombian rule in Panama. The revolutionaries declared Panama's independence in November 1903. The new government signed a treaty that gave the United States control of the strip of land that it wanted, which was called the Canal Zone. After more than ten years of construction, the canal opened in 1914. After that date the United States controlled security in the Canal Zone.
In the mid-20th century the people of Panama grew increasingly angry over U.S. influence in their country. By the 1960s resentment over U.S. policies led to protests and riots. In 1968 the Panamanian military took control of the government. In 1977 the United States signed an agreement that promised the complete transfer of control over the canal to Panama by the end of the 20th century.
In the early 1980s Col. Manuel Noriega came to power in Panama. He ruled as a dictator, crushing all opposition to his power. He also made money from the trade in illegal drugs. In 1989 the United States invaded Panama and removed Noriega from power. This ended the long period of military rule and returned democratic government to the country. The United States military left Panama in 1999. At the end of that year full control over the canal was turned over to Panama. Population (2001 estimate), 2,903,000.
