Panama

Central America and the Caribbean

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

"Pro Mundi Beneficio" (Latin)            "For the Benefit of the World"		8.7330774N 80.1672363W
President Ricardo Martinelli

Capital
Panama City

Government
Constitutional Democracy

Religion
Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 15%

Population
3,410,676

Ethnic group
Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 70%, Amerindian and mixed (West Indian) 14%, white 10%, Amerindian 6%.

National Language                   
Spanish
          
National Day
3 November (1903)

Anthem
Himno Nacional de Panamá (Spanish)

Currency
Balboa, U.S. dollar (PAB, USD)

Attractions
Panama Canal 

Website   

Art & Cultural

The ICON

The Panama Canal    The Panama Canal (Spanish: Canal de Panamá) is a 77-kilometre (48 mi) ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, annual traffic has risen from about 1,000 ships in the canal's early days to 14,702 vessels in 2008, measuring a total 309.6 million Panama Canal/Universal Measurement System (PC/UMS) tons. In total over 815,000 vessels have passed through the canal. It has been named one of the seven modern wonders of the world by the American Society of Civil Engineers. One of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken, the canal had an enormous impact on shipping between the two oceans, replacing the long and treacherous route via either the Strait of Magellan or Cape Horn at the southernmost tip of South America. A ship sailing from New York to San Francisco via the canal travels 9,500 km (5,900 mi), well under half the 22,500 km (14,000 mi) route around Cape Horn. The concept of a canal near Panama dates to the early 16th century. The first attempt to construct a canal began in 1880 under French leadership, but was abandoned after 21,900 workers died, largely from disease (particularly malaria and yellow fever) and landslides. The United States launched a second effort, incurring a further 5,600 deaths but succeeding in opening the canal in 1914. The U.S. controlled the canal and the Canal Zone surrounding it until the 1977 Torrijos–Carter Treaties provided for the transition of control to Panama. From 1979 to 1999 the canal was under joint U.S.–Panamanian administration, and from 31 December 1999 command of the waterway was assumed by the Panama Canal Authority, an agency of the Panamanian government.