Geography

Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica

Geography

THERE ARE 365 ISLANDS AND CAYS IN THE SAN BLAS ARCHIPIELAGO.  The San Blas Archipielago in the Atlantic Ocean side of Panama, known as the "San Blas Islands", consist of 365 islands and cays, that means that there is an island you can visit for every day of the year!

Geography

Panama is the only place in the world where you can see the sun rise on the Pacific and set on the Atlantic.

Geography

PANAMA HAS MORE BIRD SPECIES THAN THE ENTIRE CONTINENTAL USA.  There are 986 recorded bird species in Panama surpassing the United States, which has 914 species. This makes Panama a popular destination for bird watchers from around the world. 

Economy

The Panama Canal generates fully one-third of Panama's entire economy.

Architecture

THE MUSEUM OF BIODIVERSITY IN PANAMA IS THE FIRST BUILDING DESIGNED BY ARCHITECT FRANK GEHRY IN LATIN AMERICA. Designed by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry, the "Biomuseo" is his only work in Latin America and the tropics. The building was designed to tell the story of how the isthmus of Panama rose from the sea, uniting two continents, separating a vast ocean in two, and changing the planet’s biodiversity forever.

Culture

THE PANAMA HAT IS ACTUALLY FROM ECUADOR. The Panama hat (toquilla straw hat) is a traditional brimmed straw hat of Ecuadorian origin. The myth that it is from Panama is probably due to the fact that it was very popular among Americans that were crossing the isthmus to reach California during the Gold Rush.  That and the fact that U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt was photographed wearing one when he visited the construction site of the Panama Canal in 1904.

History

THE FIRST SPANISH CONQUISTADOR TO ARRIVE IN PANAMA WAS RODRIGO GALVAN DE BASTIDAS.  The first conquistador that arrived at the panamanian isthmus was Rodrigo Galvan de Bastidas in 1501. He was followed by Christopher Columber that visited the isthmus in 1502 during his fourth voyage to the Americas. 

History

THE FIRST EUROPEAN CITY ON THE PACIFIC SIDE OF THE AMERICAS WAS BUILT IN PANAMA. On August 15, 1516, Pedro Arias Davila founded the cit of Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion in Panama, it was the first european city build on the Pacific Ocean side of the American continent.