The Republic of Panama is the southernmost country of Central America and, in turn, North America. Situated on an isthmus connecting North and South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the north-west, Colombia to the south-east, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south.
Capital: Panama City
Largest City: Panama City
Geography: 29,157 sq mi
Entry Requirements:
All U.S. Citizens and Canadian nationals, including infants, must
have a passport that is valid for six months past the
date of first entry into Panama.
Getting There:
Travel Time to Panama City (PTY) from:
Los
Angeles: 6 hrs 18 min
Atlanta: 4 hrs 1 min
New York: 5 hrs 8 min
Chicago: 7 hrs 11 min
Miami: 2 hrs 45 min
Vancouver: 12 hrs 55 min
Toronto: 7 hrs 51 min
Note: Panama City's Tocumen International Airport is 17 miles from Panama City.
National airline: Copa Airlines
Population:
Panama: 3,309,679
Ethnic Groups: 70% Mestizo, 14% Black, 10% white, 6% Amerindian.
Religion:
75-85% Roman Catholic
Language:
The official language is Spanish, but English is widely spoken.
Social Conventions:
Handshaking is the normal form of greeting and dress is generally casual. The culture is a vibrant mixture of American and Spanish lifestyles.
Local Cuisine:
Native cooking is reminiscent of creole cuisine, hot and spicy.
National specialties:
• Ceviche (fish marinated in lime
juice, onions and peppers).
• Patacones de plátano (fried plantain).
• Sancocho (Panamanian stew with chicken, meat and vegetables).
• Tamales (seasoned pie wrapped in banana leaves).
• Empanadas (turnovers filled with meat, chicken or cheese).
Currency:
Balboa (PAB) = 100
centavos. There is no Panamanian paper currency; coins exist in denominations of PAB10 and 1, and 50, 25, 10, 5 and 1 centavos. US currency was adopted in 1904 and exists alongside the Balboa coinage: PAB1 = US$1.Major Credit
Cards are accepted.
Time Zone:
Panama is in the Eastern Standard Time Zone.
Popular Shopping Items:
Leatherware, patterned, beaded necklaces made by Guaymí Indians, native costumes, jewels and precious stones, straw products, electrical equipment, handicrafts of carved wood, ceramics, papier mâché artifacts, macramé and mahogany bowls.
Things To Do:
Ecotourism: The Gamboa Tropical Rainforest Reserve and the Soberania National Park.
Boat trips:
Boat trips on the Panama Canal are one of Panama’s major tourist attractions.
Watersports: diving and snorkeling.
Deep-sea fishing
Golf
Horseback riding
Electricity:
120 volts AC, 60Hz. Plugs are the flat two-pin American type.
Travel
Seasons:
Best Travel Time, weather-wise, is December-May. Panama
is a year-round destination.
Weather: |
| Average Temperatures & Rain |
| |
High |
Low |
Rain inches |
| Jan |
91° |
69° |
0.04 |
| Feb |
95° |
69° |
0.04 |
| Mar |
95° |
71° |
0.35 |
| Apr |
96° |
73° |
0.87 |
| May |
93° |
79° |
9.75 |
| Jun |
89° |
73° |
12.28 |
| Jul |
89° |
73° |
5.28 |
| Aug |
89° |
73° |
8.11 |
| Sep |
87° |
71° |
12.8 |
| Oct |
87° |
71° |
11.22 |
| Nov |
87° |
79° |
4.09 |
| Dec |
88° |
79° |
0.51 |
|
