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Panama City

Capital of PanamaPanama City stands on the Pacific coast at the southern end of Central America, right where ships enter the Panama Canal from the Pacific Ocean.

Why it's the capital

The Spanish conquistador Pedro Arias Dávila founded the city on 15 August 1519. It became a stop on one of Spain's most important trade routes, which carried gold and silver from the Americas to the fairs of Nombre de Dios and Portobelo.

Fun facts

  1. It was the first Spanish city founded on the Pacific coast of the Americas.
  2. After the privateer Henry Morgan looted the city in 1671 and it burned, it was rebuilt in 1673 about 8 km to the south-west; the ruins of the old city, Panamá Viejo, are a World Heritage Site.
  3. The Amador Causeway is a land bridge built from rocks dug out during the construction of the Panama Canal.

Finding it on the globe

Find the narrow land where Central America meets Colombia. Panama City is on its southern, Pacific coast, at the Pacific end of the canal.

Sources: Wikipedia: Panama City, Wikipedia: Panama