Provincia de Panamá

The Panama Canal (Spanish: Canal de Panamá) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit for maritime trade. One of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken, the Panama Canal shortcut greatly reduces the time for ships to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, enabling them to avoid the lengthy, hazardous Cape Horn r…

The Bridge of the Americas (Spanish: Puente de las Américas; originally known as the Thatcher Ferry Bridge) is a road bridge in Panama which spans the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal. Designed by Sverdrup & Parcel, it was completed in 1962 at a cost of US$20 million, connecting the north and south American land masses (hence its name). Two other bridges cross the canal: the Atlantic Bridge at the Gatun locks and the Centennial Bridge. Description The Bridge of the Americas crosses the Pacif…

Gatun Lake (Spanish: Lago Gatún) is a large freshwater artificial lake to the south of Colón, Panama. At approximately above sea level, it forms a major part of the Panama Canal, carrying ships of their transit across the Isthmus of Panama. Gatun Lake was "officially" created June 27, 1913 when the gates of the spillway at Gatun Dam were finally closed, and the world waited for the lake to fill. The water level was about above sea level and was expected to fill to operating levels in the next…

Panama's Centennial Bridge (Spanish: Puente Centenario) is a major bridge crossing the Panama Canal. It was built to supplement the overcrowded Bridge of the Americas and to replace it as the carrier of the Pan-American Highway. Upon its opening in 2004, it became the second permanent crossing of the canal. Description The Centennial Bridge is the second major road crossing of the Panama Canal, the first being the Bridge of the Americas. (Small service bridges are built in the lock structures at…

Ancón Hill (Spanish: ) is a high hill that overlooks Panama City, Panama, adjacent to the township of Ancón. Ancón Hill is an area in Panama that was used for administration of the Panama Canal. It was under U.S. jurisdiction as part of the Panama Canal Zone until being returned to Panama in 1977. Largely undeveloped, the area is now a reserve. The hill includes the highest point in Panama City. The summit of the hill can be reached by a 30-minute hike. According to a local Ancon resident, at …

Tocumen International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de Tocumen) is the primary international airport serving Panama City, the capital of Panama. The airport serves as the homebase for Copa Airlines and is a regional hub to and from The Caribbean, South, North and Central America and additionally features routes to some European and Asian cities. History During World War II, Panamanian airports were leased exclusively by the U.S. Armed Forces. The nearest airport to Tocumen was the …

The Panama Canal Authority (Spanish: Autoridad del Canal de Panamá (ACP)) is the agency of the government of Panama responsible for the operation and management of the Panama Canal. The ACP took over the administration of the canal from the Panama Canal Commission, the joint US–Panama agency that managed the canal, on December 31, 1999, when the canal was handed over from the United States to Panama as per the Torrijos–Carter Treaties. It is headquartered in Balboa, a district of Panama City. Es…

The University of Panama (Spanish: Universidad de Panamá) was founded on October 7, 1935. Initially, it had 175 students learning education, commerce, natural sciences, pharmacy, pre-engineering or law. , it had 74,059 students distributed in 228 buildings across the country. The University of Panama was founded under the administration of the President of the Republic, Dr. Harmodio Arias Madrid. Its founder and first President was the distinguished citizen Dr. Octavio Méndez Pereira. History T…

The Estadio Olímpico Rommel Fernández Gutiérrez, named after the Panamanian football star Rommel Fernández (1966–1993), is a multi-purpose stadium in Panama City. It is used for different sports, but mainly football (soccer) games. It was inaugurated February 6, 1970, and was designed to accommodate the XI Central American and Caribbean Games in 1970. Through further reforms, the stadium reached its current capacity of 32,000 spectators all seated, the largest stadium in Panama. It is part of Sp…

Estadio Nacional de Panama, also called the Rod Carew National Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Panama City, Panama. The stadium has a capacity of 27,000 and was built in 1999. It is currently used mostly for baseball matches from the national league, and Panama national baseball team matches. It has also hosted many international baseball competitions as well as many concerts and different types of events. In 2012, Qualifiers were held at the stadium for the 2013 World Baseball Classic, f…

Hospital Santo Tomás (HST) ('Saint Thomas Hospital'), is a public hospital in Panama City. It was founded in 1703. (8°58' -79°32') History The first written mention of HST was on April 11, 1703, in a letter by Juan de Argüeyes, the Bishop of Panama City to King Philip V of Spain where he told him about a hospice he founded and that had been working since the day of Saint Thomas of Villanueva, September 22, 1702 to treat poor women who had nowhere to go and he begged him to bear to this hospice …

The Culebra Cut, formerly called Gaillard Cut, is an artificial valley that cuts through the Continental Divide in Panama. The cut forms part of the Panama Canal, linking Gatun Lake, and thereby the Atlantic Ocean, to the Gulf of Panama and hence the Pacific Ocean. It is from the Pedro Miguel lock on the Pacific side to the Chagres River arm of Lake Gatun, with a water level above sea level. Construction of the cut was one of the great engineering feats of its time; the immense effort required…

Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prepared flat surface, rail vehicles (rolling stock) are directionally guided by the tracks on which they run. Tracks usually consist of steel rails. Rolling stock in a rail transport system generally encounters lower frictional resistance than rubber-tyred road…

The Pearl Islands (Spanish: Archipiélago de las Perlas or Islas de las Perlas) is a group of 200 or more islands and islets (many tiny and uninhabited) lying about off the Pacific coast of Panama in the Gulf of Panama. Islands The most notable island is Contadora Island (or Isla Contadora in Spanish), known for its resorts. Contadora was said to be used by the Spanish conquistadors as a stop for taking inventory of booty prior to returning to Spain, hence the name (contador means counter or boo…

The Technological University of Panama, Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá (UTP) in Spanish, is the second largest university in Panama. It comprises six schools and has seven regional campuses nationwide. The main campus is a piece of land in Panama City, the country's capital. History The Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá (UTP) is the highest hierarchy public institution, regarding higher education in Panama. It was formerly the Engineering School of the University of Panama, which in 1975 bec…

Roberto Durán Arena, originally known as Gimnasio Nuevo Panama, is an indoor sporting arena located in Panama City, Panama. The capacity of the arena is 8,417 spectators and opened in 1970. It hosts indoor sporting events such as basketball, boxing and volleyball. It hosts the Panama men's national basketball team. It is named after Panamanian boxer Roberto Durán. The finals of the national top basketball league Liga Profesional de Baloncesto (LPB) are played in the arena each year. (9°2' -79…

The Panama Canal Museum (Spanish: Museo del Canal Interoceánico de Panamá) is a non-profit and public museum located in Panama City, Panama. Established in 1997, the museum is devoted to the history of the construction of the Panama Canal in its various stages, including the first French construction attempt, the later construction by the United States, and the eventual transfer to Panamanian control. The current building dates from 1874 and served originally as the headquarters of both the Fren…

Estadio Juan Demóstenes Arosemena is a 7,000 seats baseball field in Panama City, Panama. It hosts mainly baseball games and is the home stadium of Panamá Metro of the Panamanian Professional Baseball League. It also served as host for the 1938 Central American and Caribbean Games. The stadium was opened in 1938 and has a seating capacity of 25,000 spectators.

The Society of Jesus (Latin: Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), commonly known as the Jesuits (English: /ˈɛʒu.ɪtsˈɛz(j)uˈɛs-/; Latin: Iesuitæ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 by Ignatius of Loyola and six companions, with the approval of Pope Paul III. The society is engaged in evangelization and apostolic ministry in 112 nations. Jesuits work in education, research, and cultural pursuits. Je…

Athenaeus of Naucratis (English: /ˌæθəˈnəs/; or Nαυκράτιος, Athēnaios Naukratitēs or Naukratios; Latin: Athenaeus Naucratita) was a Greek rhetorician and grammarian, flourishing about the end of the 2nd and beginning of the 3rd century AD. The Suda says only that he lived in the times of Marcus Aurelius, but the contempt with which he speaks of Commodus, who died in 192, shows that he survived that emperor. He was a contemporary of Adrantus. Athenaeus himself states that he was the author of a …

Estadio Agustín Muquita Sánchez is a football stadium in Panamá Oeste Province, Panama which hosts Liga Panameña de Fútbol teams San Francisco and Independiente, as well as other teams and local competitions from the La Chorrera district. Formerly the stadium had slightly smaller dimensions and natural turf, but it was still used for ANAPROF games. In 2008, a joint effort from the Panamanian government and the national sport institute (INDE) spent $1,997,192 in installing artificial turf to the …

The Academia Panameña de la Lengua (Spanish for Panamanian Academy of Language) is an association of academics and experts on the use of the Spanish language in Panama. It was founded in Panama City on August 9, 1926. Both former presidents Ricardo Joaquín Alfaro Jované and Ernesto de la Guardia were members of the academy. It is a member of the Association of Spanish Language Academies.

The Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud (The Gorgas Memorial Institute for Health Studies (GMI)) is a medical research institution that has been dedicated for more than 80 years on investigating diseases in the tropics and preventive medicine. History The institute was created in 1921 by Dr. Belisario Porras, to honor Dr. William Crawford Gorgas, who eradicated yellow fever in Panama. This achievement allowed the construction of the Panama Canal. Gorgas Memorial Laboratories w…