Panama Facts

Over 30 percent of Panama's land is protected by 15 national parks, 5 forest preserves and 10 wildlife refuges.

Over 1,518 islands are located within Panama's territorial waters. (1,023 in the Caribbean and 495 in the Pacific).

Over 500 rivers run through the country.

In the Canal zone, Panama is only 52 miles wide.

More species of birds live in Panama than in all of North America and Canada combined.

Panama is the ideal site to enjoy a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as over 10,000 species of plants, including 1,200 varieties of orchids, 678 species of ferns and 1,500 varieties of trees.

Four areas in Panama have been declared World Heritage sites by UNESCO.
Panama has seven of the 12 zones necessary to sustain the land´s principal ecosystems.

Panama includes areas that hold world records in the observation of different bird species as well as world record-holding fishing grounds.

The famous red frog is found in the archipelago of the Bastimentos Island National Marine Park in the Bocas del Toro Province. Panama's coasts and islands are replete with protected coral reefs, which are home to a diversity of marine species and are excellent sites for diving and snorkeling enthusiasts.

The world's first transoceanic railway was built between 1850 and 1855, and the trip from one shore to the other takes less than two hours.
Up until 40 years ago, Gatún Lake was the largest man-made lake in the world and when it was created, it flooded nearly 262 square kilometers of forest, villages and original railroad lines.

The Panama Canal is one of the wonders of the modern world. It was completed by the government of the United States in 1920.
It took 10 years to build the Panama Canal with a labor force of over 75,000 men and women at a cost of approximately $400 million dollars and it opened to maritime traffic on August 15, 1914.

On several occasions Panama was the victim of pillage by pirates such as Henry Morgan and Francis Drake.

It was on Panamanian soil that Spain founded the first city of the New World on solid ground - Santa María la Antigua de Darién.

Archeological excavations carried out by the Smithsonian Institute have found the remains of pottery and shells that demonstrate the existence of human settlements dating back to 300 years before Christ.

Panama is the home of Central America's largest convention center, ATLAPA.
All the gold and silver from Perú and other countries in the Americas was transported to a town called "Name of God" in the Colón Province by way of the Camino Real and from there to Europe.

The name "Panamá" originated in pre-Colombian times and means "abundance of fish, butterflies and trees".

Panama is a natural land bridge that connects North and Central America with South America. Consequently, Panama's tropical jungles and forests are teeming with animal and plant species from both continents. More bird species live in Panama than in North America. In total, there are 954 indigenous bird species plus hundreds of migrating bird species. Panama is also home to 225 mammal species, 214 reptile species and 143 amphibious species, as well as host to more than 10,000 plant species, including 1,200 orchid varieties, 678 fern species and 1,500 varieties of trees.

Panama provides visitors with an abundance of protected areas. More than 29 percent of Panama's land mass is given over to 15 national parks, a dozen forest reserves and 10 wild life sanctuaries.

In the highlands, in the province of Chiriquí, you can see quetzals, and in the jungles of Darién you can see the Harpy Eagle, the national bird. The mountain chain (Cordillera) of Cerro Azul, the humid forest regions of the Barú Volcano and the Cerro La Vieja, as well as the famous Oil Pipe Road (Camino del Oleoducto) in the National Park Soberanía are all recognized as world-class bird observation sites

The natural monument of Barro Colorado is a wild life sanctuary used as a natural laboratory by the Smithsonian Institute.

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