Panama Travel Overview
Important facts
Capital: Panama (See more on SIMPLYYELLOWPAGES.COM)
Official language: Spanish
Currency: Balboa
Continent: Central North America
Vacation in Panama
The land of the Chiquita bananas offers space for exotic adventures between the Panama Canal and the rainforest.
A highlight is a visit every Panamurlaubs and best also equal Befahrung of 1914 opened the Panama Canal. The canal cuts through the strait of Panama and thus connects the eastern Atlantic with the Pacific. It runs for almost 82 kilometers from Colón on the Atlantic coast to Panama City on the Pacific Ocean.
Panama City
According to Countryaah, the Panamanian capital has an impressive skyline from the canal. The skyscrapers stand next to the colonial old town with its numerous cafes, magnificent palaces and bars, which are definitely lively in the evenings.
The Panama hat
The Genuine Panama Hat, which is available everywhere, is made exclusively in Ecuador. And that since the 17th century. But it is really worn in Panama. It is made from fine toquilla straw, the Panama hat plant. The thinner the fibers, the more complex the manual processing and the more expensive the hat. This dollar hats 1000 have then, however, except the form nothing more with the on the road available 20 dollar copies for Gringos together.
Bocas del Toro island paradise
More than 300 islands of different sizes make up the Bocas del Toro island world in the west of Pananma. Life on the main island of Colón is relaxed and friendly. The colorful wooden houses were once built by the Chiquita group for the families of its workers. The surrounding small mangrove islands convince with dream beaches of white sand and turquoise blue sea. Also wonderful for snorkeling. The symbol of the rainforest is the somewhat shy toucan bird.
Native people
The Kuna live on the San Blas Islands in northeastern Panama. The self-confident Indian people market themselves. Anyone wishing to visit an island needs the consent of the village council. The traditional dances and colorful costumes can be admired and – for a fee – also photographed. Typical dishes are fish, bananas and the tuberous yucca. The women make colorful molas, small fabric pictures on blouses with geometric or animal motifs.
In the province of Darién tour operators offer dugout trips to the somewhat more adapted Emberá Iniandern.
Panama tips
The best time to travel is in the dry season between mid-December and April. The temperature in the lowlands reaches 22 to 32 ° C all year round, in the mountains it is still 10 to 18 degrees. By Latin American standards, Panama is a safe travel destination. Nevertheless, travelers should exercise caution, especially in the big cities. A beer costs around a dollar and a meal in a tourist middle-class restaurant costs around 10 dollars. The local currency, Balboa, is linked to the dollar rate. Panama borders the natural paradises Costa Rica and Colombia.
Currency
Currency (sub-unit)
Balboa (100 Centesimos)
ISO 4217 code
PAB / 590
Geography
Continent: North America
Region: medium
Geo coordinates: N 8 ° 32 ‘16.7 ” W -80 ° -46’ -55.7″
Highest mountain: Vulcan de Chriqui (3,475 m)
Total area: 78,200 km²
Mainland: 75,990 km²
National border: 555 km
Coastline: 2,490 km
Politics
Dependency: Colombia until 1903
UN member since: 1945
Other political affiliation: Organization of American States
Form of government: Presidential Republic
Economy
Export goods: Bananas, petroleum derivatives
BSP: $ 18,944,000,000
GDP: $ 18,972,000,000
GDP purchasing power parity: $ 25.120 million
Economic growth: 6.2%
GDP share of agriculture: 6.1%
GDP share of industry: 16%
GDP share of services: 77.9%
Inflation rate: 3.2%
Unemployment: 8.9%
State budget revenue: $ 3882 billion
State budget expenditure: $ 4294967295
National debt: 62.1%
Export: $ 8,253,000,000
Import: $ 9,342,000,000
Foreign debt: $ 10,886,000,000
Gold and currency reserves: $ 1,349,000,000
Electricity consumption: 5,560 million KWh
Oil consumption: 90,000 million m³
Cultivation area: 9.19%
Bovine: 1,634,000 pieces
Pigs: 314,000 pieces
Fishing: 267,000 t
Demographic data
Residents: 3,191,400
Residents in cities: 1,722,000
Average age: 26.1 years
0-14 years: 30.3%
15-64 years: 63.4%
> 65 years: 6.3%
Population growth: 1.6%
Birth rate: 21.74 / 1,000 residents
Death rate: 5.36 / 1,000 residents
Migration: -0.4 / 1,000 residents
Ratio men / women: 1.02
Fertility: 2.68 children / woman
Infant mortality: 16.37 ‰
Life expectancy men: 72.68 years
Life expectancy women: 77.87 years
Country codes and abbreviations
ISO 3166 Alpha 2: PA
ISO 3166 Alpha 3: PAN
ISO 3166 numeric: 591
Top Level Domain: pa
IOC country code: PAN
UN / LOCODE: PA
Source: Abbreviationfinder
Communication
Telephone connections: 478,000
Cell Phones: 1,220,000
Radios: 1,054,000
TV: 730,000
Computer: 160,000
Internet users: 360,000
Transportation
Railway lines: 355 km
Paved roads: 4,632 km
of which expressways: 30 km
Cars: 337,000
Merchant fleet (ships over 1,000 GRT): 5,473
Health
Number of doctors: 4,720
Daily food intake: 2,410 kcal / resident
HIV- infected people: 16,800
Education
Illiteracy: 7%
History
Foundation: 1903
Last sovereign since: 1903
Religion
Main religious group: Christians
Crime
Prison inmates: 11,400
Defense Spending: $ 153,000,000
GETTING THERE
Arriving by plane
Panama’s national airline is COPA – Compañía Panameña de Aviación (CM) (Internet: www.copaair.com).
No direct flights from Zurich and Vienna, cheap connections via Miami.
Lufthansa (LH) flies from Frankfurt to Panama City.
Condor (DE) flies from Frankfurt to Panama City.
KLM flies daily from Amsterdam to Panama City.
Air France (AF) flies three times a week from Paris to Panama City.
Iberia (Internet: www.iberia.de) flies from Madrid to Panama City.
Air passes
The All America Airpass (Internet: www.allairpass.com/) offers a flexible coupon system for travel to Latin and North America. It is valid on over 1,500 routes of the over 30 participating airlines, regardless of the choice of transatlantic carrier. There is no minimum purchase of flight coupons; any combination of airlines, routes and stops within the All America Airpass travel zone. There is no minimum stay, the pass is valid for 1 year. The maximum length of stay is 90 days from the use of the first flight coupon. Passengers must reconfirm all booked flights at least 72 hours before the next flight. Change of flight day and flight number is possible, rerouting is not permitted. The routing must be specified at the time of purchase. Rerouting and rerouting are not permitted. No reimbursement is possible after the start of the trip. Cancellation costs US $ 60 prior to departure. The pass may only be sold to people with permanent residence outside the Caribbean, USA, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America. Airport taxes are not included in the ticket price and must be paid on site.
Further information from Saspo Touristik, An der Trift 65, D-63303 Dreieich. Tel: (06103) 987 90. Fax: (06103) 98 79 99. (E-Mail: [email protected] ; Internet: www.saspo.de).
Departure fee
US $ 20. Transit travelers and children under two years of age are exempt from this.
Arrival by car
The Panamericana road runs from Costa Rica to Panamá. Long-
distance bus: Ticabus buses (Internet: www.ticabus.com/ingles.php) connect Panama with Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala.
Note: There are high security risks in the border area with Colombia. It is strongly advised not to stay in the jungle province of Darién and you are warned not to attempt to cross it in the direction of Colombia. In addition, contrary to the information on various maps, there is no road connection to Colombia, but only jungle paths that can only be mastered on foot.
Arriving by train
There are currently no international rail connections to Panama.
Arrival by ship
The Panama Canal is the main transport link between the Atlantic and the Pacific. The main ports of Panama, which are located at the ends of the Panama Canal, are Cristobal and Balboa. Other ports include Fort Amador (Internet: www.fuerteamador.com) and the Colon Cruise Port (Internet: www.colon2000.com).
Many cruise, passenger and cargo ships call at the major ports. The following cruise lines call Panama: Princess (Internet: www.princess.com), American Canadian (Internet: www.accl-smallships.com/index.cfm), Royal Caribbean International(Internet: www.royalcaribbean.com) and Celebrity (Internet: www.celebrity.com).
Note on arrival by ship
Anyone who enters or leaves Panama privately as a tourist with a yacht, catamaran or other type of boat must pay an entry fee (approx. 100 €) and observe a number of special provisions that can be requested from the responsible migration authority at the port of landing.
ON THE GO
Traveling by plane
The smaller commercial airports are Aeropuerto Marcos A. Gelabert (PAC) in Paitilla and Enrique Maleck (DAV) in David, Chiriquí. The regional airlines Aeroperlas (Internet: www.aeroperlas.com) and Aerotaxi connect Panamá with all other centers inland. Helipan offers tours by helicopter (Internet: www.helipan.com).
On the way by car / bus
The Trans-Isthman-Highway connects Panamá with Colón. Bus routes run almost everywhere in the country, but the service is sometimes quite slow. Bus rides are quite cheap in Panama. Taxis do not have a meter and fares should be agreed in advance. Rental cars are available in the cities and at the airports. The minimum age for renting a car is 23-25 years. Documents: National driver’s license is valid for a maximum of 3 months in Panama.
Traveling in the city
In Panamá City there is a large network of buses and minibuses with unit fares as well as the Metro de Panama subway (Internet: www.elmetrodepanama.com). At the entrance of most buses there are turnstiles into which you have to insert coins. Buses generally run between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m.
On the go by train
Passenger trains of the Panama Canal Railway Company (Internet: www.panarail.com) travel across the country from Panama City to Colón.