Panama is one of those countries that seems small and familiar until you actually start digging into it. Most people know about the Panama Canal, Panama City and perhaps the beaches and islands, but there is an astonishing amount of strange, fascinating and unexpected history, geography, wildlife and culture packed into this little country. Here are some fun facts about Panama that might make you look at the country very differently.
One of the first surprises is that Panama is the only place in the world where you can watch the sun rise over the Pacific Ocean and set over the Atlantic Ocean, from certain locations because of the country's unusual shape and the way the two coastlines are positioned. Of course, you cannot literally stand in one spot and watch both events on the same day, but Panama's geography makes the two oceans surprisingly close together. At its narrowest, the country is only around 80 kilometres wide. You can have breakfast on one coast and, with the right journey, be looking at the other ocean later the same day.
Panama also has an incredible amount of coastline for such a small country. There are hundreds of islands scattered along both the Caribbean and Pacific coasts, ranging from tiny uninhabited islands to places with established communities and thriving tourism. The San Blas Islands, officially known as Guna Yala, contain hundreds of islands, many of them little more than palm covered pieces of sand surrounded by brilliant Caribbean water. Some islands are so small that you can walk across them in seconds.
Another fascinating fact is that Panama has an enormous amount of biodiversity because it sits between North and South America. Millions of years ago, the land bridge that eventually became Panama connected the two continents, allowing animals to move between them in what scientists call the Great American Biotic Interchange. Panama therefore ended up with an extraordinary mixture of species from both continents. Today you can find monkeys, sloths, jaguars, tapirs, anteaters, toucans, quetzals, crocodiles, poison dart frogs and hundreds of other species within a relatively small area.
Panama is also home to more species of birds than the United States and Canada combined. This is one of those facts that sounds exaggerated until you realize just how strategically located Panama is for migrating birds. Birds moving between North and South America pass directly through the country, while Panama's mountains, forests, wetlands, mangroves and coastline provide an incredible variety of habitats. For birdwatchers, Panama is effectively sitting in the middle of one enormous natural highway.
And then there is the Panama Canal, which has an interesting geographical twist. The canal connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, but the Pacific entrance is actually farther east than the Atlantic entrance. This seems completely wrong when you look at a normal map, but the shape and orientation of Panama make it possible. The canal itself also does not simply run straight across the country. Ships travel through a combination of artificial channels, lakes and locks, including the enormous Gatun Lake.
Here is another strange fact: the Panama Canal does not actually save ships from sailing around the southern tip of South America by merely crossing a narrow strip of land. It completely transformed global shipping. A vessel travelling between New York and San Francisco, for example, can save thousands of kilometres by using the canal rather than travelling around Cape Horn. This tiny Central American country therefore became one of the most strategically important pieces of geography on the planet.
Panama City itself has an unusual distinction. It is considered the oldest continuously occupied European founded city on the Pacific coast of the Americas, although the original settlement, Panamá Viejo, was destroyed by the pirate Henry Morgan in 1671. The modern historic district of Casco Viejo was subsequently established nearby. Today you can walk through the ruins of the original city and then travel a relatively short distance into the skyscrapers of modern Panama City. Few places offer such a dramatic contrast between centuries old ruins and modern glass towers.
Panama also has a surprisingly complicated history involving Colombia. Panama was once part of Colombia after gaining independence from Spain in 1821. Panama declared independence from Colombia in 1903, and the United States subsequently became heavily involved in the construction and administration of the canal. The canal itself opened in 1914. Panama eventually gained full control of the canal at the end of 1999, making the waterway completely Panamanian.
Another fun fact is that Panama has two independence celebrations. November is known as the month of the patria, with several important national celebrations. Panama celebrates its separation from Colombia on November 3 and its independence from Spain on November 28, with other important historical dates falling between them. This is why November can feel like one enormous patriotic party, with parades, flags, music and celebrations taking place throughout the country.
Panama's name is also surrounded by fascinating theories. Nobody knows with absolute certainty where the country's name originally came from. One popular explanation connects it to an Indigenous word associated with an abundance of fish, while another theory relates it to a place name or word used during the Spanish colonial period. The famous story that Panama simply means "abundance of butterflies" is widely repeated, but the actual origin is more complicated and remains debated.
Speaking of butterflies, Panama has an extraordinary number of them. The country's tropical forests provide habitat for thousands of species of butterflies and moths, from enormous blue morphos to tiny species that most people walk straight past. The blue morpho is particularly spectacular because its brilliant blue wings aren't actually blue because of ordinary pigment. Their microscopic structure reflects light in a way that produces the intense blue appearance.
Panama also has some wonderfully strange wildlife. You can find three species of sloth, including the famous three toed and two toed varieties, as well as several species of monkeys. White faced capuchins are particularly adaptable and can sometimes be surprisingly curious around humans. Howler monkeys, meanwhile, have one of the loudest calls in the tropical forest. Hearing one before seeing it can make you wonder whether something considerably larger is hiding in the trees.
Another animal that surprises visitors is the agouti. It looks a little like a giant guinea pig with long legs and spends much of its time running around forests looking for fallen fruit and seeds. Agoutis are important seed dispersers and are an excellent example of the unusual animals that people can encounter simply by walking through Panama's forests.
Panama also has volcanoes, including Volcán Barú, the highest mountain in the country. On exceptionally clear days, it is possible to see both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea from high elevations around the volcano. That is an extraordinary perspective for a country that is relatively narrow.
And Panama isn't just tropical beaches. The country contains cloud forests, lowland rainforest, mangroves, dry forest, high mountains, wetlands and enormous areas of jungle. You can go from humid tropical lowlands to cool mountain environments surprisingly quickly. This dramatic change in elevation is one of the reasons Panama can support such an extraordinary range of plants and animals.
One of the most surprising facts about Panama is that the country's rainforests are not all the same. The Caribbean side tends to be much wetter, while parts of the Pacific side have pronounced dry seasons. Travel from one region to another and the landscape can change dramatically. In some places the vegetation is so dense that it feels like a completely different country.
Panama is also famous for something that has nothing to do with its natural environment: the Panama hat isn't actually from Panama. The famous straw hat originated in Ecuador. The hats became associated with Panama because they were widely sold and worn during the construction of the Panama Canal and became internationally known through their connection with Panama.
And finally, perhaps one of the most enjoyable things to know about Panama is that you can never be completely sure what you are going to encounter when you walk outside. One day you might see a sloth hanging above the road. The next day there might be a toucan sitting on a wire, a troop of monkeys moving through the trees, a huge butterfly landing beside you or a brightly coloured frog hiding underneath a leaf. Panama is one of those countries where wildlife isn't necessarily something you have to go looking for.
That may ultimately be the most interesting fact about Panama of all. The country is not enormous, but it sits at one of the most important geographical crossroads on Earth. Two oceans, two continents, tropical forests, mountains, islands, a world famous canal and an extraordinary mixture of cultures all come together here.
Panama is much more than a canal connecting two oceans. It is a country where geography has created one of the most unusual combinations of history, wildlife and cultures anywhere in the world.