Follow me as I travel to three interesting countries this Fall - Panama, Guatemala and Oman in the Arabian Peninsula.
Here is a bit of information on Panama to get you going. These are not my photos.
Panama
Officially the Republic of Panama is a country in Central America bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The capital and largest city is Panama City whose metropolitan area is home to nearly half of the country's 4 million people.
Beautiful Beaches
Pristine beaches are found on islands on the east side of the country. The San Blas islands are a group of islands in the archipelago de San Blas, located in the Northwest of Panama facing the Caribbean Sea. There are 378 islands within the archipelago and they are scattered around in an area of about 100 square miles. The majority of the 378 islands have no inhabitants, but on the larger ones you will find the gentle native people known as the Kuna’s. These people can be found on the larger inhabited Islands; Aguja Island, Guanidup Island, Chichimei, Yandup Island and El Porvenir.
Tropical Climate
Covering around 40 percent of its land area, Panama's jungles are home to an abundance of tropical plants and animals – some of them found nowhere else on the planet
Panama Canal
With the backing of the United States, Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903 allowing for the construction of the Panama Canal to be completed by the US Army Corps of Engineers between 1904 and 1914. The United States controlled the canal until the signing of the Torrijos–Carter Treaty. This led to the transfer of the Canal from the United States to Panama on December 31, 1999. Revenue from canal tolls continues to represent a significant portion of Panama's GDP, although commerce, banking, and tourism are major and growing sectors.
