Where is Panama in the World?

Where is Panama?

Panama is a small, tropical country linking the continents of North and South America via the Isthmus of Panama. The country is 74,177 square kilometers in area and is most famous for the human-made Panama Canal. The capital of Panama is Panama City, which is the only capital in the world with part of a rainforest inside the city limits.

Geography

A mostly mountainous region, Panama also features rainforest and jungle climates due to its tropical location. The average temperature stays relatively the same all year, with a range of between roughly 76-90 on average, and the days remain roughly at 12 hours a day and 12 hours night all year round because Panama is located only 622 miles from the equator. Panama has a "dry season" from around January to May. The rest of the year is quite rainy, leading to the moisture rich environment.

Because the country is so narrow (only 48 kilometers at its narrowest point), the sunrise can be seen over the Pacific Ocean, and the sunset over the Atlantic, from the same spot. Because of the shape of the country, it runs from east to west, so the oceans run alongside the north and south of Panama.

The Volcán Barú is an active stratovolcano located on the west side of the country, near the border of Costa Rica, one of Panama's two neighboring countries. The volcano is 11,460 feet tall, making it the highest mountain in the country. Panama's other neighbor, to the east, is Colombia.

The Panama Canal, built between 1904 and 1914, is one of the most prodigious artificial waterways in the world. It cuts through the country to link the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, with bridges connecting the North and South American continents. The Canal was named one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Because of its location in a sweltering, humid and tropical climate, Panama is rich in commodities such as bananas, coffee beans, and sugarcane. It is renowned for rich coffee and is one of the world's leading exporters of the product.

Population

Panama boasts a total population of around 4 million people as of 2017. The majority of the population is made up of Panamanians, descending from Mestizo, Amerindian and Caucasian ancestry. The official language is Spanish, although English is becoming more pronounced throughout the country.

The political system of Panama consists of constitutional democracy and is run by a presidential leadership and a multi-party government. Elite families control a vast majority of the country's wealth, and as a result, poverty levels are quite high.

Panama is becoming an increasingly easy country to relocate to due to changes in its residency programs enabling a vast and growing international community.