Interesting facts about Panama country

Spending a month traveling around Panama after doing a lot of research for a few weeks before that, I was able to collect a lot of information and many facts about Panama. I hope you enjoy them :)

Interesting facts about Panama country:

• the isthmus of Panama emerged from the ocean about 15 million years ago and thus the marine life in the two oceans evolved separately. North and South America were 2 separate continents until then which made Panama a bridge between the ecosystems. When diving you can see some land fossils and then on the other hand also some sea fossils when hiking in the rainforest, so cool!

• it takes just 2 hours to cross from the Atlantic to the Pacific

• the name Panama in a native language means ”abundance of fish” – there’s supposed to be around 14,000 species of fish in Panama

• Panama’s Piñas Bay is home to 250 world fishing records – more than in any other country in the world

• around 3.5 million inhabitants (which is even less than my home country Slovakia)

• 94.5% alphabetism

• since 1923, the world’s primary tropical scientific investigation center – the Smithsonian Institute of Tropical Research houses in Panama because it is so close from one ocean to another where the species developed completely differently making it a great place for research.

• Panama is hosting a lot of surfing championships – the best time to surf is May to October and November to August, especially in Santa Catalina, Pedasi and Venao beach

• Panama has more than 976 bird species which is more than the US and Canada combined.

• at least 125 animal species are found only in Panama

• more than 1,500 species of orchids grow in Panama

• over 1860 species of butterflies in Panama – certain plants attract certain butterflies

• both Forbes and Business Week selected Panama as one of the top destinations for retirement after Ecuador (1st in the world) and with Costa Rica Panama ranks 2nd and 3rd. The Pensioners’ Program offers discounts to all the retirees – 30% on buses, trains and boats, 15 – 25% restaurants, 50% theater and movies, 50% hotels Monday – Thursday, 10% off on prescription medicines and hospitals, and even 25% discounts for airline tickets.

• regular Panamanian health insurance plans are available for foreigner before they reach 60

• Panama is becoming a great place for medical tourism with the American-trained doctors in hospitals

• low cost and good health care system makes it a top destination to retire – free travel insurance for tourists for 30 days which you should receive at Tocumen airport (for some reason I did not). The health insurance for tourists should include up to $7,000 for a hospital stay and $40,000 for emergency transportation

• bad education system – at private schools the teacher has to let you pass the exams so the students do not really try to learn much and many teachers are not qualified enough

• since the 1950’s there’s been ”Push Button” motels called Brisas del Amor (Breezes of Love) along Panamerican highway between Chame and Coronado charging anywhere from $8 for 2 hours to $50 per hour. They are designated by corny cupid signs. You pay there cash anonymously to unlock the door of your room.

• dry high season is December to April/May, the rest of the year is green rainy season with a few hours of afternoon rain a couple of times per week

• Gold Coast on the Pacific side grew incredibly in the past 5 years

• There’s Happy Hours and Expat Nights along the Gold Coast – great for meeting up other foreigners

• the second largest inhabited volcano crater in the world is located in Panama – called El Valle de Anton

• you can volunteer at the Panama and Cocle Theatre – a different way of making new friends

• Pacific ocean is cold, deep and filled with nutrients in dry season (January to April) because of the Northern winds and thus the best time for snorkeling, scuba-diving or fishing, especially around Coiba island, Santa Catalina or Pedasi

• 28th Dec 2013 to 1st Jan 2014 the 1st TEDx took place in the Kalu Yala jungle and they are planning on another series of TEDx Jungle Adventures next year

• Panama is the safest country for tourists in the region

• a great place for eco-tourism because some of the world’s most diverse rainforests

• the 8th wonder of the world – the Panama Canal is situated here – and it is definitely one of the main 10 places to visit in Panama

Panama Canal Miraflores Locks

• US dollar as the second currency so easy when exchanging money – Balboa native currency has the coins of the same value as the US dollars but the bills are mostly used only the US dollars, not the Balboas

• electricity – 110 volts

• more than 100 banks

• suggested amount of tips is 10 – 15% of the price

• tap water is completely safe to drink

• Panama City is replacing Miami as the business hub of the Americas because of the US visa difficulty in the states since 9/11 and the city even starts to look like Miami with all the skyscrapers

Panama City skyline with many banks

• Tocumen airport handled 5.5 million passengers in 2011

• Panama has the second largest Free Trade Zone in the world

• Panama has more than 86 direct flights to cities in the region and more than 12 direct flights to the US

• no earthquakes nor hurricanes in Panama (unlike other Central American and Caribbean countries)

• Pacific and Atlantic ocean are closer here than in any other country in the world

• the capital is one of the hottest capitals in the world which makes it just one of the interesting facts about Panama capital

• awesome for adventure: fishing, canopy, snorkeling, scuba-diving, kayaking, rafting, surfing

• Panama was called number 1 place to visit in 2012 by the New York Times

• 4th in the world for port infrastructure

• 6th for air transport

• 85 international companies have their regional Latin American headquarters in Panama

• Panama ranks 40th globally in competition

• the lowest unemployment rate in the region (4%)

• the highest GDP growth rate of 10% in 2012

• Panama ranks 2nd in the affordability of financial services

• same time zone in Panama than in NYC and Toronto so a good place for stock exchange

• cinema has VIP lounge where you pay more but you have waiters and private sofas if you want to cuddle

• 4 species of sea turtles nest on the coast of Panama (leatherback, green, loggerhead and hawksbill turtle) which can survive until they are 75 years old

• in some restaurants they add tips and taxes automatically to the bill, in other they do not so check it out in each restaurant

• sometimes you have to throw the used toilet paper into the trash bins, sometime directly into the toilet bowl so make sure you know where to do what :D

• there’s a lot more rubbish on the ground all around the country than there should be

rubbish in Panama

• smoking inside is banned in Panama which I highly appreciated

• Panama has the largest rainforest in the Western Hemisphere outside of the Amazon

• the country has the most diverse wildlife in Central America

• more than 30% of the country are national parks and wildlife refuges with the largest and the purest being Darien at the border with Colombia.

• when I was trying to pay with a $50 bill at El Machetazo grocery mall, I was asked to give them my ID and phone number and they filled in a form with all my details before paying

• people are not used to pay with debit/credit cards at all and even if you VISA/Mastercard should work, at some places it will the card readers will deny it with no reason

• you have to take your bill with you after paying – both in restaurants and stores – otherwise you could pay a fine (in El Machetazo it would be $1 or 7% of your bill price)

• many supermarkets – El Rey, Super 99, Riba Smith are the best in Latin America

• more than 500 years after the first Europeans in Panama, there’s still 7 indigenous tribes living – just go on a day trip from Panama City to visit them like I did – I recommend the Embera Village Tour and also the Monkey Island tour when you visit the Wounaan tribe for a bit

Embera tribe Panama

• The Captain Morgan rum brand sponsored an expedition to Panama to find the lost fleet of the pirate Henry Morgan and found a wreckage with cannons, barrels and swords that might have belonged to him

• post office does not work well in Panama and I heard you can pay even around $38 per a single postcard!

• you can get your own P.O. Box in the US and receive packages from the US delivered to your office/home in Panama

• many dentists speak English and charge 50% less than in the US

• the so called Montezuma revenge diarrhea is almost unknown in Panama

• the Pearl islands in the Pacific got their name when the largest pearl in the world was found here

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