Central America · North AmericaPanama
Discover Panama - home of the legendary canal connecting two oceans, stunning biodiversity, a booming skyline, and the hat that is actually from Ecuador.
Where Is Panama?
Panama is a country in Central America, North America. Its capital is Panama City.
- Capital Panama City
- Population 4.57M
- Area 75,417 km²
Panama is where the Americas pinch to a waist, where two oceans almost touch, and where humans decided to finish the job. The Panama Canal is one of the greatest engineering achievements in history - a 77-kilometer waterway that saves ships from sailing an extra 15,000 kilometers around South America. Every year, roughly 14,000 vessels pass through its locks, carrying about 5% of all world trade. The canal defines Panama, but the country is far more than its most famous ditch.
Panama City is the only capital in the Americas with a tropical rainforest within its city limits. The skyline looks like it belongs to Dubai, but twenty minutes away you can be in jungle that has barely changed since Balboa first glimpsed the Pacific in 1513. The San Blas Islands are run by the indigenous Kuna people on their own terms. The Darien Gap is one of the last true wilderness areas in the hemisphere - so wild that there is no road connecting Panama to Colombia. And the biodiversity is absurd: Panama has more bird species than the United States and Canada combined. Not bad for a country smaller than South Carolina.
At a glance
Largest cities in Panama
Panama City
Colon
David
Santiago
Boquete
Famous people from Panama
Roberto Duran
SportManos de Piedra - one of the greatest boxers in history, world champion in four weight divisions across three decades
Mariano Rivera
SportThe greatest closer in baseball history, first player unanimously elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
Ruben Blades
MusicSalsa legend, actor, and politician who served as Panama's Minister of Tourism, known as the poet of salsa
Omar Torrijos
PoliticsMilitary leader who negotiated the return of the Panama Canal from the United States through the Torrijos-Carter Treaties
Rod Carew
SportPanamanian-born Baseball Hall of Famer who won seven batting titles with the Minnesota Twins and California Angels
Traditional cuisine of Panama
- Sancocho
- Panama's national dish - a hearty chicken stew with yuca, corn, cilantro, and oregano, considered a hangover cure
- Ceviche
- Panamanian-style raw corvina marinated in lime juice with onions, peppers, and cilantro, a Pacific coast staple
- Arroz con Pollo
- Chicken and rice cooked together with vegetables and saffron-like achiote, the everyday comfort food of Panama
- Patacones
- Twice-fried green plantain discs served as a side with nearly everything, often topped with ceviche or cheese
- Hojaldras
- Deep-fried bread dough served for breakfast, sprinkled with sugar or alongside savory dishes
Nature and landmarks in Panama
- Panama CanalLandmark
- One of the greatest engineering marvels in history, a 77-kilometer waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
- Darien GapForest
- The only break in the Pan-American Highway, a vast and virtually impenetrable jungle between Panama and Colombia
- San Blas IslandsIsland
- Archipelago of 365 pristine islands governed by the indigenous Kuna people, with white sand and crystal-clear water
- Volcan BaruMountain
- Panama's highest point at 3,475 meters, the only place in the Americas where you can see both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
- Bocas del ToroIsland
- Caribbean archipelago of mangrove islands with colorful stilt houses, surfing, and incredible marine biodiversity
Sports in Panama
- Baseball
- Panama has produced more MLB Hall of Famers per capita than almost any country, including Mariano Rivera and Rod Carew
- Boxing
- World-class boxing tradition led by Roberto Duran, with numerous world champions across weight divisions
- Football
- Panama qualified for their first ever FIFA World Cup in 2018, sparking a national celebration that made their first goal a national holiday
Did you know?
The Panama Canal uses a system of locks that raise ships 26 meters above sea level to cross the continental divide
Panama hats are actually from Ecuador - they got their name because workers on the Panama Canal wore them
Panama City is the only capital in Latin America with a tropical rainforest inside its city limits (Metropolitan Natural Park)
The country is the only place in the world where you can watch the sun rise over the Pacific and set over the Atlantic due to the S-shaped isthmus
Mariano Rivera was signed by the Yankees after a scout saw him throwing 95 mph while fishing as a teenager in Panama
Panama's Darien Gap is the only break in the Pan-American Highway, which otherwise runs from Alaska to Argentina
The country uses both the Balboa and the US Dollar interchangeably, and has done so since 1904
Can you find Panama on a map?
Drop a pin where you think it is and see how close you got. A few rounds and you will place Panama and its neighbours without a second thought.
