📖 About Panama City

Panama City is the capital and largest city of Panama, a modern metropolis at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal. With approximately 1.5 million residents in the metro area, this dynamic city combines gleaming skyscrapers with colonial heritage. Its strategic location at the narrowest point of the Americas has made it a global hub for trade, finance, and transportation.

The skyline rivals Miami's, filled with international banks and the regional headquarters of multinational companies. Yet minutes away lies Casco Viejo, the UNESCO-listed colonial old town with Spanish architecture. The Panama Canal—one of the world's great engineering achievements—connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The city offers both business opportunities and tropical beaches, rainforest and cosmopolitan culture.

🏛️ Top Attractions

💼 Economy & Culture

Panama City's economy centers on services—banking, logistics, and commerce. The Panama Canal generates significant revenue; the expanded canal handles larger ships. The Colon Free Trade Zone is the world's second-largest. Offshore banking and corporate registration attract international capital. Real estate and construction boom. Tourism grows as the city develops. The economy is the most diversified in Central America.

The culture is cosmopolitan—Spanish-speaking with significant Caribbean, indigenous, and immigrant influences. Chinese, Indian, and West Indian communities have deep roots. Catholicism predominates but diversity thrives. Food includes seafood, rice dishes, and international cuisine. Music ranges from reggaeton to salsa. The culture is entrepreneurial and internationally-oriented, reflecting centuries as a crossroads of trade and migration.

📜 History

Panama City was founded in 1519 by Spanish conquistadors—the first European city on the Pacific coast of the Americas. It became a key transit point for gold shipments from Peru. Pirate Henry Morgan destroyed the original city in 1671; survivors rebuilt at present-day Casco Viejo.

Independence from Spain (1821) and later Colombia (1903) came with US interest in a canal. The Panama Canal opened in 1914, transforming the city. US control of the Canal Zone lasted until 1999. The 21st century brought massive growth—banking, construction, and the canal expansion. Today Panama City thrives as Latin America's most internationally-connected capital.