Panama City

Panama City is the only capital city in the world boasting a rainforest within its city limits: Metropolitan Natural Park (Parque Natural Metropolitano). Although the Panamanian currency is officially the balboa, in practicePanama uses the United States dollar almost exclusively, with the exception of balboa coins.

Adopted in 1925, the flag of Panama's Kuna Yala people is based on a swastika design. The symbol represents the octopus that created the world in ancient Kuna culture. In 1942, a ring was added to the flag's center to differentiate it from Nazi Germany's swastika flag, but that version is no longer used.

After Costa Rica, Panama was the second Latin American country to abolish its standing military.

The Panama Canal is undoubtedly one of mankind's greatest feats. Built between 1904 and 1917, the canal allows ships voyaging between San Francisco and New York to save7,872 miles of travel, instead of going around Cape Horn.
 The estimated cost was $375,000,000 US. The canal is presently undergoing expansion, scheduled for completion in 2014; the estimated cost is $5.25 billion US.

More than 12,000 people died during the construction of the Panama Railroad. Built between 1850 and 1855, it's the world's oldest operating transcontinental railroad.

In 1928, Richard Halliburton swam the entire length of the Panama Canal. He was required to pay a toll: 36 cents, since he weighed 150 pounds.


Due to the its serpentine shape, Panama is the only country in the world where you can see the sun rise in the Pacific and set in the Atlantic. You can also swim in the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean on the same day – the country is 80km wide at its narrowest point.