Panama is a country in Central America on the Isthmus of Panama, the land bridge between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean that connects North and South America. The capital and largest city is Panama City.
Since 1914, the 82-km long Panama Canal, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, has afforded a long-sought shortcut for shipping and assures the country’s standing as one of the most strategic transportation hubs of the world.
The home of several Native American peoples, such as the Guaymi, Kuna, and Choco, Panama became the first Spanish colony on the Pacific, celebrated as “the door to the seas and key to the universe”. Panama became an independent state in 1903, after gaining its sovereignty from Spain.
Panama’s official language is Spanish although a large number of Panamanians are bilingual with English being the most common second language. Since 2010, Panama has been the second-most competitive economy in Latin America, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index. The currencies are the Balboa and the US dollar.
Picture credit: google