Panama and the world's most important waterway
Panama is a natural land bridge and connects North and Central America with South America. As a result, some animal species from both parts can be found here. The country gained its independence from Colombia in 1903. After that, the country was under the influence of the USA for a long time.
Me and Magdalena make our way overland, from Costa Rica to Panama. For a long time, the country was under the influence of the USA.
In 1881, they began to construct the Panama Canal, an approximately 82 km long artificial waterway with locks. In 1894, the holding company "Compagnie Nouvelle du Canal de Panama", took over the continuation of the theoretical work and in 1902 sold the entire complex to the United States for 40 million US dollars and they completed the canal.
In 1999, the USA finally handed over the full control of the Panama Canal to the state of Panama.
In addition to the canal, which is one of the most important waterways in the world and by far the most important source of income for the state of Panama, the country has many other places worth seeing. For example, the island paradise of Bocas del Toro.
But we also love the capital, Panama City. With its 813,097 inhabitants, it is the largest city in the country. It is located in the south in the province of Panamá on the Pacific coast, directly east of the Panama Canal. In economic terms, the modern city is a cosmopolitan city.