Location
. . . . .
CROSSROADS CHRISTIAN ACADEMY
(Courier service from the U.S.)
P.O. Box 25207,
PTY-768
Miami, FL 33102-5202
507-317-9774
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(Physical address)
Omar Torrijos Herrera Ave
Cardenas, Rep. of Panama

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United States Embassy in Panama (View Page)



Panama History

The southernmost of the Central American nations, Panama is south of Costa Rica and north of Colombia. The Panama Canal bisects the isthmus at its narrowest and lowest point, allowing passage from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean. Panama is slightly smaller than South Carolina. It is marked by a chain of mountains in the west, moderate hills in the interior, and a low range on the east coast. There are extensive forests in the fertile Caribbean area.


Panama's history has been shaped by the evolution of the world economy and the ambitions of great powers. Rodrigo de Bastidas, sailing westward from Venezuela in 1501 in search of gold, was the first European to explore the Isthmus of Panama. A year later, Christopher Columbus visited the isthmus and established a short-lived settlement in the Darien. Vasco Nunez de Balboa's tortuous trek from the Atlantic to the Pacific in 1513 demonstrated that the isthmus was, indeed, the path between the seas, and Panama quickly became the crossroads and marketplace of Spain's empire in the New World. Gold and silver were brought by ship from South America, hauled across the isthmus, and loaded aboard ships for Spain. The route became known as the Camino Real, or Royal Road, although was more commonly known as Camino de Cruces (Road of the Crosses) because of the frequency of gravesites along the way.

Modern Panamanian history has been shaped by its transisthmian canal, which had been a dream since the beginning of Spanish colonization. From 1880 to 1900, a French company under Ferdinand de Lesseps attempted unsuccessfully to construct a sea-level canal on the site of the present Panama Canal. In November 1903, with U.S. encouragement and French financial support, Panama proclaimed its independence and concluded the Hay/Bunau-Varilla Treaty with the United States. 

The treaty granted rights to the United States "as if it were sovereign" in a zone roughly 10 miles wide and 50 miles long. In that zone, the U.S. would build a canal, then administer, fortify, and defend it "in perpetuity." In 1914, the United States completed the existing 83 kilometer (50 mile) lock canal, which today is one of the world's greatest engineering triumphs. The early 1960s saw the beginning of sustained pressure in Panama for the renegotiation of this treaty.

On Dec. 31, 1999, the U.S. formally handed over control of the Panama Canal to Panama.

In May 2004 presidential elections, Martín Torrijos Herrera, the son of former Omar Torrijos, won 47.5% of the vote. He took office in September.

Panamanians approved a plan to expand the Panama Canal in 2006. It will likely double the canal's capacity and is expected to be completed by 2015.

Today, Panama elected millionaire businessman Ricardo Martinelli as its president on May 3, 2009. After a period of rapid economic growth, Panama had succumbed to the global recession. Trading on his personal record of success-and utilizing his fortune to get his message out-Martinelli promised to encourage foreign investment and help the less fortunate.