The Panama News
Kazi
important information about Panama
Panama is south of Costa Rica and north of Colombia. The Panama Canal bisects the isthmus at its narrowest and lowest point, allowing passage from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean. Panama is slightly smaller than South Carolina.Panama also has a surprisingly diverse population, the result of intact indigenous groups and steady immigration over the last 500 years.People with African origins – Afro-Colonials and Afro-Antillanos – have lived in Panama since the 16th century.The other most densely inhabited parts of the country are the central provinces of Herrera, Los Santos, Coclé, and Veraguas. Panama City, Panama's capital, is a modern city framed by the Pacific Ocean and man-made Panama Canal. Casco Viejo, its cobblestoned center, contains colonial-era landmarks like the neoclassical Palacio Presidencial (aka Palacio de las Garzas) as well as bougainvillea-filled plazas lined with cafes and bars.From Miraflores Locks one can watch ships pass through the city's famed canal, linking the Atlantic and Pacific.In 1501 the discovery of Panama by Spanish explorer Rodrigo de Bastidas marked the beginning of the age of conquest and colonization in the isthmus. However, it was his first mate, Vasco Núñez de Balboa, who was to be immortalized in the history books, following his discovery of the Pacific Ocean 12 years later.