INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT PANAMA

 

Panama is a small country in Central America, mostly known for the Panama Canal and Panama Hats, at least in the opinions of other parts of the world. However, did you know that Panama is wonderfully mountainous with green rainforests and idyllic coasts, teeming with wildlife, history, and an ever-growing mix of culture? Panama is a country with an eclectic culture and fascinating history that manifests in its architecture, cuisine, entertainment, landmarks, and local population. The country typically receives around 2.5 million visitors, and its capital is one of the most visited cities in Latin America. Many people also choose to relocate to Panama due to its international population, tropical climate, and low cost of living. Here are some interesting facts about Panama.

 

Panama Dive Site

The narrowest part of Panama is only 30 miles wide

The narrowest part of Panama is only 30 miles (48 kilometers) wide, so it’s very easy traveling from one side to the other. You can even do it multiple times a day if you want. It’s really cool getting to see both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans on the same day.

You can watch the sunrise in the Pacific and set in the Atlantic

Panama is the only country in the world where you can watch the sunrise on the Pacific coast and then set on the Atlantic coast. You can see this from the top of the highest point in the country, Volcan Baru at 3,474 m.

 

Sunrise Baru Volcano

Panama City has its own rainforest within the city 

Panama City is the only capital city in the world that has a rainforest within the city limits. It’s one of the reasons it’s such a humid city to visit. 

Panama has two independence days

How about this as an interesting fact about Panama – the country has two independence days! The first is from Spain in 1821, and the second from Colombia 82 years later in 1903. Double fiesta time!

Panama hats don’t actually come from Panama

This is one of our favorite fun facts about Panama, but the infamous Panama Hat doesn’t originate from here – it actually comes from Ecuador in South America.

 

Panama Hat Making... In Ecuador!

The Canal is Panama’s main source of revenue

By 2021, the Panama Canal Authority is hoping the project will bring in US$2.1 billion per year in added revenue. That’s a huge amount of money!

 

Building the canal was a dangerous task

This is one of the scarier facts about Panama. Between 1904 and 1913, some 5,600 Panama Canal workers died, mainly due to disease as they had no immunity. Malaria was thought to be the biggest factor.

 

Panama Canal Construction

Panamanians are mad about baseball

Mirroring the US, baseball is the most popular sport in the country. They are mad for it here – in fact, watching live baseball is one of the top things to do in Panama.

 

Panama is home to the San Blas Islands, some of the most stunning islands in the world

There are more than 1,500 islands in Panama. The most famous of these are the San Blas Islands. The Kuna people are the local indigenous people who live on the islands and offer homestays. This is such a great way of immersing yourself in the local community here.

 

San Blas Islands

 

Panama has a variety of Indigenous Cultures

 

Indigenous people currently make up around 13% of Panama's population. There are still seven distinct indigenous cultures, these are then divided into four major groups, these are the Ngöbe-Buglé, the Guna, the Emberá-Wounaan, and the Naso-Bribri.

There are only two seasons in Panama – wet and dry

However, saying that there are only 2 major seasons in Panama. The dry season runs from November to April, and the wet season runs from April to November.

There are a huge number of birds in Panama

If you are a bird lover, this would be the most exciting fact about Panama. In the country alone, there are at least 970 species of birds; that’s an astonishing number. Many bird watchers visit the region for this specific purpose; to discover the country´s nature and biodiversity.

 

Chestnut Woodpecker

Panama has mind-blowing Bio-diversity

Panama is home to 10,000 different plant species, including more than 1,500 species of trees, 1,400 varieties of orchids, and 678 types of fern. This makes it one of the most biodiverse countries in the world.

The  Panama Flag 

Panama’s flag is unique. An interesting fact about Panama’s flag is that it is one of few with a distinctive design. Forget all the triple vertical or horizontal stripes designs with different widths and arrangements, you won’t have a hard time with that when it comes to the Panama flag.

 

Panama Flag

The currency in Panama is the US$

Panama was the first Latin American country to adopt the U.S. currency as its own. The other countries in Central or South America that use US$ are Ecuador, El Salvador, and Puerto Rico.

 

The Chucunaque River

The Chucunaque River is the longest in Panama 144 miles long.

 

The Chucunaque River

The inventor of “Murphy’s law” was born in Panama

Edward Murphy Jr, best known for creating Murphy’s Law, which is said to state that “anything that can go wrong will go wrong”, was born in the Panama Canal Zone in 1918.

Panama is the second smallest county in Central America

With a population of 4.4 million people, Panama is actually the second smallest country in Central America. The most populous is Guatemala with 17.25 million people. Belize is the smallest with half a million people.

The Panama national bird is scary

The national bird of Panama is the harpy eagle. If you’ve never seen pictures of the harpy eagle before, it’s pretty freaky. And massive.

 

Harpy Eagle

You can swim under the Panama Canal

Scuba divers have the opportunity of swimming practically under the Panama Canal at the Gatun Lake. Here you can even see the old submerged railroads used during the Canal’s construction.

 

Darién National Park is beautiful but you can’t cross it

Darién National Park is a world heritage site in Panama. It is about 325 kilometers (200 miles) from Panama City and is the most extensive of all national parks of Panama and is one of the most important world heritage sites in Central America. However, due to drug traffickers, it’s virtually impossible to cross the Darién Gap into Colombia. It’s thought this is one of the most dangerous border crossings anywhere in the world.

 

Darien Jungle

 

Panama is home to the oldest operating railroad

A total of 12,000 lives were lost in the construction of the Panama Railroad, which is the oldest continually operating railroad ever in the world. It is still fully functional as it transports passengers between Panama City and Colon.

Panama is home to the largest Artificial Lake in the world

At the time of completion in 1912, it was the largest artificial lake in the world. This large freshwater lake is approximately 25 meters above sea level. The Gatun Lake is a key part of the Panama Canal. It carried ships across the isthmus of Panama. 

 

 

A Fishy Tale

The word 'Panama' is traditionally said to mean "place of fishes".

The Poison Dart Frog

Panama is home to the tiny but toxic strawberry poison-dart frog. This little guy is too poisonous to even touch!

 

Poison Dart Frog

These are just some of the interesting facts about Panama. If you want to learn more about this stunning and fascinating country ask us here!