Panama

Founded in 1519, Panamá Viejo was the oldest European settlement on the Pacific coast of the Americas. Abandoned in the mid-17th century, it was replaced by today's Historic District, which has preserved its original street plan, its architecture and an unusual mixture of architectural styles.

The Azuero Peninsula is located in southern Panama, surrounded by the Pacific Ocean the Gulf of Panama. Panama City, the Panamanian capital, is the main urban center on the gulf shore. The Pearl Islands are an archipelago in the Gulf of Panama.

The Central America Volcanic Arc is a chain of hundreds of volcanic formations that extend from Guatemala to northern Panama, parallel to the Pacific coastline of the Central American Isthmus. These volcanic formations range from major stratovolcanoes to lava domes and cinder cones.

Coiba National Park, off the western coast of Panama, protects Coiba Island and 38 smaller islands as well as surrounding marine areas within the Gulf of Chiriqui. Coiba’s Pacific tropical moist forest maintains high levels of mammal, bird and plant endemism.

The Cordillera de Talamanca is a mountain range that lies in the southeast half of Costa Rica and the far west of Panama. The range rises from sea level on the Caribbean side to over 12,000 ft and then drops back down to the General Valley on the Pacific side.

Darién National Park and Biosphere Reserve is the largest protected area in Panama, containing an exceptional variety of habitats: sandy beaches, rocky coasts, mangroves, and swamps as well as lowland and upland tropical forests containing remarkable wildlife.

The Fortifications on the Caribbean side of Panamá: Portobelo-San Lorenzo are located along the coast of the Province of Colón. These Panamanian forts on the Caribbean coast form part of the defense system built by the Spanish Crown to protect transatlantic trade.

The Gulf of Darién is the southernmost extension of the Caribbean Sea, situated off the northwestern coast of Colombia and the southeastern coast of Panama. The Darién Gap is a break across the North and South American continents within Central America.

The Isthmus of Panama connects North and South America. It separates the Atlantic Ocean from the Pacific Ocean. The Panama Canal is one of the most strategic artificial waterways in the world and one of the most significant and challenging engineering projects ever undertaken.

La Amistad International Park is a Transboundary Protected Area that extends along the border between Costa Rica and Panama, which, along with the surrounding Biosphere Reserves, preserves a major tract of tropical forest that is known for its extraordinary biodiversity and endemism.