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Country of the Week: Panama Panama lies on the isthmus that connects North and South America. Panama is part of Central America. This is an area that lies between North America and South America. What other countries are part of Central America? (Several, including Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.) Panama is a long, narrow country. Since it is surrounded by water on both sides, and connects two larger pieces of land, Panama is called an isthmus. What bodies of water surround Panama? (The Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean.) Panama’s weather is tropical, or very warm and rainy. This makes it great for farming BASIC crops such as bananas, coffee, and sugarcane. About one-third of Panama is made up of a large rainforest. Monkeys, jaguars, deer, and parrots live in this rainforest. Would you like to visit a rainforest? But most of the business in the country is done in Panama City, the capital and largest city. It is shown in the picture at the top. In July, Juan Carlos Varela — vah-RAY-lah — became the president of Panama. NEXT 12 GENERAL 900,000 people. Earlier this year, Juan Carlos Varela — vah-RAY-lah — was elected to a five-year term as Panama’s president. Like all Central American countries, Panama has a tropical climate. What kind of climate is this? (Warm and rainy.) About one-third of the country is tropical rainforest. What is a rainforest? (A dense forest with plants that require a lot of water.) Much of the rainforest is in protected parkland. This helps Panama’s many native plants and animals — including anteaters, jaguars, monkeys, and many colorful birds — grow and flourish. Panama’s climate also helps farmers grow crops such as bananas, sugarcane, coffee, and rice. Panama’s economy, one of the strongest in the Americas, is also helped by tourism — and by the Panama Canal. NEXT ADVANCED earlier this year. Varela, a pro-business conservative, is based in Panama City, the country’s capital and largest city. From there, he oversees a nation with a thriving tourism industry due to its tropical climate and natural beauty. About one-third of the country is tropical rain forest, and much of that land is protected national parkland. The lush forests and savannahs are home to a great variety of flora and fauna. Panama’s native wildlife includes sloths, anteaters, jaguars, and deer, as well as many bird species. Why do you think Panama would have such a great diversity of wildlife? (Because it is a land bridge between North and South America, species from both continents have migrated to Panama and found homes there.) Panama’s climate is also ideal for crops such as bananas, coffee, sugarcane, and rice. NEXT The central American nation of Panama is about the size of the state of Maine, but it has an important place in world trade. Panama lies on an isthmus between the Caribbean Sea — which is part of the Atlantic Ocean — and the Pacific Ocean. What is an isthmus? (A narrow piece of land that connects larger pieces of land.) Panama forms the only land route between North and South America. Why is this important? (For trade, travel, and so on.) It is also the location of a famous human-made waterway. What is this? (The Panama Canal helps ships pass from the Atlantic Ocean directly to the Pacific Ocean.) About 3.3 million people live in Panama, and its official language is Spanish. The city shown here is Panama’s capital and largest city, Panama City, home to about Panama is the southernmost country in Central America. Although it is only about the size of the state of Maine, Panama occupies a big place in international trade. It’s sometimes called the “Crossroads of the World.” That’s because one of the most important manmade waterways in the world runs through Panama. What is this? (The Panama Canal.) Why do you think it is so important? (Ships can travel directly between the Caribbean Sea — part of the Atlantic ocean — and the Pacific Ocean instead of going all the way around South America.) The Panama Canal accounts for a good part of Panama’s economy. It employs thousands of people, and also brings in about 2 billion dollars in revenue paid directly to the government. Panama’s president, Juan Carlos Varela — vah-RAY-lah — won election 12 NewsCurrents Week of September 8, 2014 Country of the Week: Panama (cont'd) Panamanian culture is shaped by its history and geography. Native Americans lived in Panama for thousands of years. In the 1500s, a Spanish explorer claimed the area for Spain. From his image here, what was his name? (Vasco Nuñez de Balboa — VAHS-koh NOONyez day bahl-BOH-ah.) Panama was a Spanish colony until 1821. During this time, Panamanian women started wearing the traditional dresses shown here. They are called polleras — poh-YEHR-ahz. They are still sometimes worn during parades and festivals. What do you think of their outfits? Panama was part of Colombia for 80 years. The U.S. helped Panama become independent from Colombia before the U.S. started to build the Panama Canal BASIC in 1904. The Panama C a n a l connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and it helped U.S. businesses to ship goods between the East and West Coasts without having to go all around South America. The man shown in the bottom photo is Mañuel Noriega. He was the leader of Panama in the 1980s. He was cruel leader and also sold illegal drugs around the world. The U.S. sent in troops to capture him in 1989. Why do you think the U.S. wanted to capture him? END 13 GENERAL by the United States, Panama declared its independence. A year later, the U.S. began work on the Panama Canal. Why did the U.S. want to build the canal? (Because it allowed U.S. businesses to ship goods between the East and West coasts without having to go all around South America.) Panama has a stable government now, but this was not always the case. In the 1980s, a military leader named Mañuel Noriega gained power in the country. At first, the U.S. backed him. As time went on, it became clear that Noriega was a brutal ruler. He was also involved in the international sale of illegal drugs. So President George H.W. Bush ordered the U.S. military to invade Panama and capture Noriega. He is shown here in custody. Do you think this was a good use of the U.S. military? Why or why not? END ADVANCED Spain, Panama was part of the nation of Colombia for 80 years. In 1903, it declared its independence, backed by the U.S. The U.S. began building the Panama Canal the following year, and continued to be very involved in Panama. In the 1980s, a military strongman named Mañuel Noriega gained control in Panama. At first, the U.S. backed his government. But when it became clear that Noriega was ordering the execution of his critics, and selling illegal drugs all around the world, the U.S. decided to remove him by invading Panama. The picture here from 1989 shows Noriega in the custody of Drug Enforcement Agency soldiers. Who was the U.S. president at the time?(George H.W. Bush.) Was U.S. intervention justified in this case? Why or why not? END For centuries, various Native American groups lived in this area of the world. In 1513, the Spanish explorer Vasco Nuñez de Balboa — VAHS-koh NOON-yez day bahl-BOHah — visited the land we now know as Panama. Balboa claimed this area as a Spanish colony. Soon, it was a hub for trade in the region. Can you guess why? (Spain realized that it was the shortest route between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.) Balboa was so important to Panama that the country’s money is named for him. Panama was a Spanish colony for almost three centuries. The women shown here are wearing polleras — poh-YEHR-ahz. This traditional dress began during the colonial period. In 1821, Panama became independent from Spain, but was still part of the nation of Colombia. In 1903, backed No one is quite sure how many Native Americans were living in Panama in 1513; estimates range from 200,000 to 2 million. What we do know is that that was the year that Spanish explorer Vasco Nuñez de Balboa — VAHS-koh NOON-yez day bahl-BOH-ah — claimed the area for Spain. His influence is still felt in Panama — the country’s currency is called the balboa. Why do you think Panama thinks so highly of this explorer? Panama was a Spanish colony for almost three centuries. The country’s traditional dress, the pollera — poh-YEHRah — was once only worn by domestic servants. Eventually, the upper and middle classes adopted the pollera as well. After becoming independent from NewsCurrents Week of September 8, 2014 13