Key Facts about Panama

About Panama

• It is a country in Central America located on the Isthmus of Panama, the narrow bridge of land that connects North and South America.
• It is bordered by Costa Rica and Colombia and is situated between the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean. 
• Embracing the isthmus and more than 1,600 islands off its Atlantic and Pacific coasts, the tropical nation is renowned as the site of the Panama Canal, which cuts through its midsection.
• Most Panamanians are descended from indigenous, or native, people, Europeans, Afro-Caribbeans, and immigrants from all over the world.
• Panama has the largest rainforest in the Western Hemisphere outside the Amazon Basin.
• Capital: Panama City
• Language: Spanish

What is the Panama Canal?

• It is a constructed waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans across the Isthmus of Panama.
• It is one of the two most strategic artificial waterways in the world, the other being the Suez Canal. 
• It is approximately 80 kilometers long.
• The canal was built by the United States between 1904 and 1914, and it was officially opened on August 15, 1914.
• It is owned and administered by the Republic of Panama since the oversight of the Canal was transferred from the United States to Panama in 1999.
• The Panama Canal consists of a series of locks that raise and lower the water level to facilitate the passage of ships through the continental divide.

Q1: What is the Suez Canal?

It is a 30 km (120 miles)-long artificial sea-level waterway located in Egypt. It connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Gulf of Suez, a northern branch of the Red Sea. It provides the shortest maritime route between Europe and the lands lying around the Indian and western Pacific oceans. It is one of the world’s most heavily used shipping lanes.

Source: Panama's next president says he'll try to shut down one of world's busiest migration routes