Introduction to Panama
Panama Now:  The Republic of Panama extends about 800 miles (1200 km) from Costa Rica in the
west to Colombia in the east, and 50 to 120 miles (80 to 200 km) wide from the Caribbean Sea in the
north to the Pacific Ocean in the south.

The climate is tropical with temperatures generally 80 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit (25-30 Celsius) and
with high humidity.  The dry season in most areas of Panama is from December to April, with the rainy
season the rest of the year.

The country has a population of about three million of which approximately 10-15% are of African
descent, 10% of Spanish ancestry,  6% of indigenous Amerindian descent, and 70% of mixed ancestry.

Spanish is the most widely spoken language, but some English is understood by many.
Electricity in Panama, like that in the U.S., is 110V and uses American-type flat prong plugs.
For details and photos of our Panama trip click for the next page,  "Getting To Panama".
Panama's currency is the U.S. dollar.  
Below is a road map showing the part of Panama we traveled.  The cities and towns we visited are
circled in black.
During the first few days we were in Panama City and cruised the Panama Canal from Panama City to
Colon. From Panama City we took a plane to El Porvenir (upper right on map).  Subsequently we flew to
Bocas del Toro (upper left on map). From Bocas del Toro we went by boat to nearby Almirante and
continued south by taxi to Boquete.  Next came a series of bus-rides from Boquete through David,
Santiago, and Penonome to the small town of El Valle de Anton.  After visiting El Valle we bused to
Panama City for a few days  (including a cruise to Isla Taboga) before returning to the United States.
Panama is in the same time zone as the eastern United States.
History:  Panama was discovered and occupied by the Spaniards
in the early 1500's.  The 50-mile-wide isthmus of Panama
separated the Atlantic Ocean from  the Pacific.  Panama quickly
became an important trans-shipment point between the two
oceans.  Goods and passengers from Europe and eastern North
America were unloaded on Panama's Atlantic coast, carried by
pack animals across the isthmus to the Pacific coast to be loaded
aboard vessels sailing that ocean.  The reverse procedure was
used for shipments from the Pacific to the Atlantic.

In 1821 Panama obtained its independence from Spain and joined
independent Colombia to become part of that country.  In 1854
a railroad was built across the isthmus of Panama.  In the 1880's
the French tried to build a sea-level canal across the isthmus,
but failed.  Around 1900 the United States and Colombia tried
to negotiate an agreement permitting the U.S.to build the canal,
but negotiations failed.
With U.S. instigation and help Panamanians revolted from
Colombia and immediately made a treaty permitting the U.S. to
build a canal across the isthmus.  Construction of the Panama
Canal began in 1904 and was completed in 1914.  In the year
2000 the Canal were relinquished to Panama.
On the map  above the red line
indicates the sea route from New
York to San Francisco before
construction of the Panama Canal.  
The green line shows the shorter sea
route after construction of the Canal.