Panama City
Panama City (
Spanish:
Ciudad de Panamá), population 708,738, is the
capital of
Panama, located at the
Pacific entrance of the
Panama Canal, at . Panama City is the political, administrative and cultural center of the country.
Juan Carlos Navarro is the current mayor of the city.
The city was founded on
August 15,
1519, by
Pedro Arias de Avila, also known as Pedrarias Davila. A recurring theme in the
history of the
city has been the ebb and flow
world commerce through the
isthmus. Within a few years of its founding, the city became a launching point for the exploration and conquest of
Peru and a transit point for gold and silver headed back to Spain through the Isthmus. In
1671 Henry Morgan with a band of 1400 men attacked and looted the city, which was subsequently destroyed by fire. The ruins of the old city still remain and are a popular tourist attraction known as
Panama la Vieja. It was rebuilt in
1673 in a new location about 5 miles west-southwest of the original city. This location is now known as the
Casco Viejo or
Old Hull of the city.
Discovery of
gold in California in
1848 led to an upsurge in travellers crossing the isthmus en route to the west coast of North America. The year before the discovery of gold, the
Panama Railroad Company
[The Panama Railroad from Trainweb] was formed, but the railroad did not begin operation until
1855[Harper's New Monthly Magazine March 1855, Volume 10, Issue 58, p.543]. Between
1848 and
1869, the year the first transcontinental railroad was completed in the United States, about 375,000 persons crossed the isthmus from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and 225,000 in the opposite direction. That traffic greatly increased the prosperity of the city during that period.
Not surprisingly, construction of the
Panama Canal was of great benefit to the infrastructure of the city. Of particular note are the improvements in health and sanitation brought about by the American presence in the Canal Zone. These include the eradication of
yellow fever and
malaria and the introduction of a first-rate
water supply system. However, most of the laborers for the construction of the canal were brought in from the Caribbean, which created unprecedented racial and social tensions in the fledgling city.
During
World War II, construction of military bases and the presence of larger numbers of U.S. military and civilian personnel brought about unprecedented levels of prosperity to the city. Throughout the years, however, the benefits of American presence in the canal area, had a price. From the perspective of Panamanians, this massive presence was viewed as an affront to their nationalism and also as an irritation to life in and around the city. In fact until the late 1960s, Panamanians had limited access, or no access at all, to many areas in the Canal Zone neighboring the Panama City metropolitan area. Some of these areas were military bases accessible only to United States personnel.
 |
Causeway connecting Naos, Perico and Flamengo Islands to the mainland. A bicycle path parallels the roadway. |
In the late 1970s and through the 1980s Panama City became an international
banking center bringing along with it a lot of undesirable attention as an international money-laundering center. In 1989 after nearly a year of tension between the United States and Panama,
President Bush ordered the
invasion of Panama to depose the leader of Panama, General
Manuel Noriega. As a result of the action a portion of the
El Chorrillo neighborhood, which consisted mostly of old wood-framed buildings dating back to the 1900s, was destroyed by fire. Eventually, the U. S. helped finance the construction of large cinderblock apartment buildings to replace the destroyed structures. Panama City remains a banking center, although with very visible controls in the flow of
cash.
Shipping is handled through port facilities in the neighboring municipality of
Balboa operated by the
Hutchison Whampoa Company of
Hong Kong and through several ports on the Caribbean side of the isthmus. Balboa, which is located within the greater Panama City metropolitan area was formerly part of the
Panama Canal Zone, and in fact the administration of the former Panama Canal Zone was headquartered there.
The city has numerous tourist attractions including world-class hotels and restaurants. Of particular interest to tourists are various sites located in the
Casco Viejo, including
*
Las Bóvedas[
1], literally
The Vaults, a waterfront promenade jutting out into the Pacific;
* The National Institute of Culture Building and across from it, the French Embassy;
* The Cathedral on
Plaza de la Catedral;
*
Teatro Nacional, a recently renovated performance center, with outstanding natural acoustics; It provides an intimate performance environment, seating about 800 guests.
*
Museo del Canal Interoceánico (InterOceanic Canal Museum);
* Numerous restaurants located near the French embassy.
*
Palacio de las Garzas (Heron's Palace), the official name of the presidential palace. There actually are
Herons in the compound.
Further Southwest one can climb the hill Cerro Ancón for an overview of the city (see photograph at the end of the article) and beyond that is the fairly well-known bridge that spans the
Panama Canal, the
Bridge of the Americas. A new attraction is the new bridge over the
Panama Canal, the
Centennial Bridge.
 |
Panama City at dusk as seen from the Bay of Panama |
Located just outside the Casco Viejo, on the
Plaza Cinco de Mayo is the
Museo Antropológico Reina Torres de Araúz, with precious metal artifacts from pre-columbian Panama. The museum is located on what was the Pacific terminal of the
Panama Railroad which itself is an architecturally significant building.
The area immediately east of the Pacific entrance of the canal is currently being developed as a major tourist center with many North-American style malls, hotels, discos and restaurants. Currently the Smithsonian Institute operates a station and a small museum open to the public on Culebra Island, just off the island of Naos (See inset). The noted American architect
Frank Gehry known for the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum and the Disney Concert Center in Los Angeles, has designed a structure which will be built in this area. The structure, called
The Bridge of Life museum is scheduled to be completed in 2007.
Visitors who wish to experience more of the local atmosphere are advised to look for accommodations nearer the commercial and financial center of the city, that is the neighborhoods of Bella Vista, Marbella or El Cangrejo. For the tighter budgets Casco Viejo is a better option.
Unfortunately, the waters in the coast of the city are polluted, and bathing in them is not allowed. However there are beaches available nearby. The closest is the Playa Bonita Complex, right next to the city, crossing the
Bridge of the Americas. There are also many more beaches, in the Pacific and Caribbean side (one of the advantages of Panama is the possibility of bathing in two oceans easily, as they are just hours apart). In recent years there has been huge development of beach hotels. Farther afield, visitors can travel to beaches in the interior, Bocas del Toro and the
Archipiélago de las Perlas in the Gulf of Panama (where
Survivor (TV series) has filmed 3 seasons)
Panamanian nature is comparable to that of
Costa Rica. Near Panama City are some of the most accessible nature reserves. A taste of this can be found in the sizeable
Parque Natural Metropolitano, which, ironically, is difficult to reach without motorised transport. An even easier nature-option is the
Centro de Exhibiciones Marinas on the causeway, which is more than just an aquarium.
But to get a better impression of Panamanian nature near the city, it is convenient that the
Panama Canal needs nature around it as a water catchment (a rare example of a vast engineering project in the middle of nature that actually helped preserve that very nature). Along the western side of the Canal is the
Parque Nacional Soberania. On the way there one can also visit the lovely and spacious
Summit botanical gardens and zoo. In the national park the best known trail is the
Pipeline Road, popular with birdwatchers.
Panama City's international airport is
Tocumen International Airport located on the eastern outskirts of the city and easily accessible by a modern toll road from the financial district. Under normal traffic conditions travellers should allow 45 minutes to the airport from the financial district. Cab fare to and from the airport is about US$30, though many hotels provide shuttle service. Major car rental companies have facilities at the airport, but first-time visitors are advised to take a cab and rent a car at a city rental office. There are direct flights between Tocumen and New York, Newark, Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, Atlanta, and all major cities in the Caribbean, Central America and South America. Panama City also has an in-town airport
Marcos A. Gelabert, in the area once occupied by
Albrook Air Force Base. This airport serves domestic flights to the interior of Panama and the
Las Perlas islands in the Pacific.
Panama City has an extensive system of public transportation implemented by a fleet of colorful buses. However, it is recommended that to get about town, first-time visitors should either rent a car, or should use taxis which are plentiful, safe and inexpensive. Most taxi fares within the city are under US$3. Air-conditioned buses are available from Panama City to most other parts of the country. These leave from a huge Bus Terminal near the
Marcos A. Gelabert airport. Also, the Allbrook Mall has a giant bus terminal which acts as a hub for the country.
The
Universidad de Panamá,
Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá and
Universidad Santa María la Antigua are the main institutions of higher learning in Panama City. Numerous other educational and cultural institutions are located in the city, and it was chosen to be the
American Capital of Culture for the year 2003 (jointly, with
Curitiba,
Brazil).
Panama City has numerous daily newspapers, most with an online presence:
*
La Prensa*
El Panamá América*
La Estrella de PanamáThe English language newspaper
The Star & Herald suspended publication in 1987. It had started publication as
The Panama Herald in 1851.
For news in English and commentary about politics, economics and society in Panama see the online publication
*
The Panama NewsA popular guide to Panama City (and beyond):
* Michèle Labrut,
Getting to know Panama, Focus Publications (Int) S.A.
* Soccer
**
Panama City is home to three professional teams in the country's top soccer league,
ANAPROF:
***
CD Policía Nacional***
Plaza Amador***
Tauro F.C.**
Panama City is also home to two professional teams in the country's second level league,
Primera A (Segunda Division):
***
Deportivo Italia***
Rio Abajo F.C.*
Official website for Panama City*
Official Panama's Tourism Bureau page*
Copa Airlines UK Site - The National Airline of Panama |
A view of Panama City from the Ancon Hill |
