- Panama is bordered by Costa Rica and Columbia as well as the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. It is the southernmost country in Central America; its border to the south is in South America.
- Christopher Columbus was one of the first Europeans to explore Panama, after Rodrigo de Bastidas discovered it a year earlier. By 1513, Panama was an important Spanish settlement. They won their independence in 1821.
- The majority of Panama's population is Mestizo. Mestizo is a Spanish term, and refers to people of mixed European and American Indian descent. Spanish is by far the majority language, and most people are Roman Catholic.
- Panama City is among the top retirement locations in the world. Temperatures range from between 70 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and there are a large number of cultural venues including museums, cathedrals, art galleries and parks.
- Panama is home to a number of unique animal species, including the harpy eagle (the national bird) and the tapir. Barro Colorado Island, a small island off the coast, is home to 74 different species of bats.
- Panama had their first female president in 1999--Mireya Moscoso.
- There is a Smithsonian building that is headquartered in Panama. The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute conducts research on the rain forest, its ecology and animal life.
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