Fun Facts About Panama Landforms
- The Darien Gap. In the minds of many, it is the Panama Canal that separates North and South America. ...
- The Isthmus of Panama. As Central America curves southward from Costa Rica into Panama, and then northeasterly as the country wraps around the Gulf of Panama, an interesting thing happens: ...
- Mountains. Panama's highest peak is also a volcano. Topping out around 11,400 feet, the Baru Volcano — sometimes referred to as Chiriqui Volcano — is dormant.
- Waters. Panama is bordered by both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea of the Atlantic Ocean. ...
What are some key landforms in Panama?
- San José - 333,980. San José is the largest city in Costa Rica, with a population of 333,980.
- Puerto Limón - 55,667.
- Alajuela - 42,889.
- Heredia - 40,840.
- Cinco Esquinas - 36,627.
What are major geographic features in Panama?
Major Landforms. The most important features of Panama are the volcanic-in-origin mountains that extend from its Costa Rican border to Colombia, South America. Beautiful ranges include the long Central Mountains, as well as the San Blas, Talamanca and Tabasara.
What are the major natural resources in Panama?
What are the Natural Resources of Panama?
- The Panama canal. The Panama Canal is an 80-km navigation route between the oceans that crosses the Isthmus of Panama; Considered one of the most important and iconic engineering projects ...
- Panama's gold and copper. ...
- Mahogany forests. ...
- Shrimp farming. ...
- Generation of hydroelectric energy. ...
What are 5 landforms in the United States?
What are 5 landforms in the United States? I mportant Landforms in the U.S. Appalachian Mountains. The Appalachian Mountains may be some of the oldest mountains on earth. Rocky Mountains. Great Salt Lake. Grand Canyon. Great Plains. Mississippi River.
How many mountains are in Panama?
two mountain rangesPanama has two mountain ranges that run down its center in both the east and west. These ranges form the continental divide, separating the Pacific slopes from the Caribbean.
What is Panama mostly known for?
Panama is known as a transit country because of the Panama Canal. While the country is known for its famous canal, its natural attractions include birding, whitewater rafting, and snorkeling tours. Panama's biodiversity has been said to be three times higher than the United State, Canada and Europe combined.
What are the physical features of Panama Canal?
Throughout its length the canal has a minimum bottom width of 500 feet (150 metres); in Gatún Lake the width of the channel varies between 500 and 1,000 feet (150 and 300 metres), and in Miraflores Lake the width is 740 feet (225 metres).
What mountains run through Panama?
The Majé Mountains run parallel to the Gulf of Panama shore. Entering Panama from Colombia along the Pacific and Caribbean coasts, respectively, are the Sapo Mountains and the Darien Mountains.
Does Panama have mountains?
The two principal ranges, the Tabasará Mountains (Cordillera Central) in the west and the Cordillera de San Blas in the east, are separated near the centre of the country by a saddle of lower land.
What are 5 interesting facts about Panama?
11 Fascinating Things You Didn't Know About PanamaThere's a rainforest in the capital city. ... You don't have to change currency here. ... Its population figures are crazy. ... The sun rises and sets over two different oceans. ... It's home to the oldest operating railroad. ... It has two independence days.More items...•
What landform is Panama?
Panama is a narrow land bridge, or isthmus, connecting North and South America.
What are major physical features in Panama?
Panama's landscape consists of three major physical regions: mountains, coastal lowlands, and archipelagos. The dominant feature of the country's landform is the central spine of mountains and hills that extend almost the entire length of Panama, known as the Cordillera Central.
What are 3 interesting facts about Panama?
Panama is the only place in the world where you can see the sun rise on the Pacific and set on the Atlantic. The canal generates fully one-third of Panama's entire economy. "A man, a plan, a canal; Panama." is a palindrome. Panama was the first Latin American country to adopt the U.S. currency as its own.
What geographic landform does the country of Panama create?
The dominant feature of Panama's landform is the central spine of mountains and hills that forms the continental divide. The divide does not form part of the great mountain chains of North America, and only near the Colombian border are there highlands related to the Andean system of South America.
Does Panama have volcanoes?
Volcán Barú is a potentially active volcano in western Panamá, about 35 km east of the Costa Rican border. The volcano has had four eruptive episodes during the past 1,600 years, including its most recent eruption about 400–500 years ago. Several other eruptions occurred in the prior 10,000 years.
How many gulfs Does Panama have?
The Gulf itself also contains a few minor gulfs, with Panama Bay to the north, Gulf of Parita to the west and Gulf of San Miguel to the east. The gulf has a few islands and on the coast there are a few important ports, like Panama City, La Palma and Chitrè.
Which ocean is east of Panama?
As Central America curves southward from Costa Rica into Panama, and then northeasterly as the country wraps around the Gulf of Panama, an interesting thing happens: the Pacific Ocean, as represented by the Gulf of Panama, is actually east of the Atlantic Ocean. This phenomenon means that western Panama is the only place in the world where a person could leave the Pacific coast, near Balboa, for example, and travel in a direct westward route to reach the Atlantic. Even the Panama Canal travels southeasterly from Cristobal on the Caribbean coast to its Pacific terminus.
What is the largest lake in Panama?
Home to no large natural lakes, the country's largest lake is actually man-made Gatun Lake — once the largest man-made lake in the world — which was created when the Chagres River was dammed as part of the Panama Canal project.
What is the tallest volcano in El Salvador?
The volcano of Santa Ana, or Ilamatepec, in the westernmost part of the country is El Salvador's tallest peak at nearly 7,750 feet. Near the Guatemalan border, Santa Ana is located within the boundaries of Cerro Verde National Park and has erupted as recently as 2005.
How tall is Cerro El Pital?
Cerro El Pital, which is nearly 9,000 feet at its summit, straddles the border of Honduras and El Salvador. While a handful of authorities, refer to Cerro El Pital as El Salvador's top peak, others, such as "National Geographic," stand firmly behind Santa Ana.
What is the largest body of water in El Salvador?
The largest impounded body of water in El Salvador, at 135 square miles, is Cerron Grande Reservoir, which was created by a hydroelectric dam on the Lempa River. Although it is the largest lake in the country, a limnological purist would refer to Cerron Grande as the largest manmade lake.
Which is the most active volcano in Central America?
Izalco, in fact, is the most active volcano in Central America. The Gulf of Fonseca, at the easternmost edge of El Salvador and bordering Honduras and Nicaragua as well, is the country's largest outlet to the Pacific Ocean. Jiquilisco Bay is the largest Pacific inlet that lies completely within Salvadoran borders.
Where is El Salvador in Central America?
Travel Tips. Trent Jonas, Leaf Group Updated March 15, 2018. El Salvador, tucked between Honduras and Guatemala to the north and the Pacific ocean to the west, is Central America's smallest country by area.
Azuero Peninsula: Gulf of Panama and the Pearl Islands (Central America)
The Azuero Peninsula is located in southern Panama, surrounded by the Pacific Ocean the Gulf of Panama. Panama City, the Panamanian capital, is the main urban center on the gulf shore. The Pearl Islands are an archipelago in the Gulf of Panama.
Central America Volcanic Arc
The Central America Volcanic Arc is a chain of volcanic formations that extend from Guatemala to Northern Panama, parallel to the Pacific coastline of the Central American Isthmus. They range from major stratovolcanoes to lava domes and cinder cones.
Cordillera de Talamanca: Mountain Range (Costa Rica, Panama)
The Cordillera de Talamanca is a mountain range that lies on the southeast half of Costa Rica and the far west of Panama. The range rises from sea level on the Caribbean side to over 12,000 ft and then drops back down to the General Valley on the Pacific side.
Gulf of Darién: Darién Gap and the Pan-American Highway (Colombia, Panama)
The Gulf of Darién is the southernmost extension of the Caribbean Sea. The Pan-American Highway is a network of roads, stretching from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to the lower reaches of South America. It is interrupted between Panama and Colombia by the Darién Gap.
Isthmus of Panama: Panama Canal (Central America)
The Isthmus of Panama connects North and South America. It separates the Atlantic Ocean from the Pacific Ocean. The Panama Canal is one of the most strategic artificial waterways in the world and one of the largest, most difficult, engineering projects ever undertaken.
What is Panama's coastline?
It has an elongated S shape, with its Caribbean coastline stretching some 800 miles (1,290 km) and the Pacific coast some 1,060 miles (1,700 km); however, a line drawn from the Costa Rican frontier in the west to the Colombian border in the east would extend only 480 miles (770 km). The shortest distance across the isthmus is about 30 miles (50 km), from the mouth of the Nergalá (Necategua) River, which flows into the Gulf of San Blas on the Caribbean shore, to the mouth of the Chepo River on the Pacific coast. Nearly as narrow is the portion of the isthmus traversed by the Panama Canal.
What rivers flow through Panama?
Of Panama’s many short rivers, those that flow to the Caribbean include the Sixaola, Changuinola, Indio, Cricamola, La Miel, and Chagres. Rivers flowing to the Pacific include the Chiriquí Viejo, Santa María, Chepo, Chucunaque, and Tuira. During the rainy season the Tuira is navigable for some 40 miles (60 km) and the Chepo for 20 miles (30 km). Water in the Panama Canal does not flow from coast to coast; rather, it is released from the rain-fed Gatún and Alajuela (Madden) lakes in the central highlands. In effect, the water flows to both coasts simultaneously via the canal’s system of locks and dams. For details on the engineering and operation of the waterway, see Panama Canal.
What are the highlands and mountains made of?
The highlands and mountains are made up primarily of igneous (volcanic) rocks. The lowlands include the plains of Panamá and Chiriquí provinces, the plains and hills of Colón province, the Chepo and Chucunaque river basins in the east, and the narrow northeastern plains of the Caribbean region.
How far is the isthmus from the Panama Canal?
The shortest distance across the isthmus is about 30 miles (50 km), from the mouth of the Nergalá (Necategua) River, which flows into the Gulf of San Blas on the Caribbean shore, to the mouth of the Chepo River on the Pacific coast. Nearly as narrow is the portion of the isthmus traversed by the Panama Canal. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Which coast is wider, the Pacific or the Atlantic?
The Pacific coastline is extended by the Azuero Peninsula and the Gulf of Panama and by numerous headlands and bays, whereas the largest embayment on the Caribbean side is Chiriquí Lagoon. The Pacific coastline is more indented and irregular, and its continental shelf is much wider than that on the Atlantic side.
What is the color of the soil in the Panama Canal?
For details on the engineering and operation of the waterway, see Panama Canal. Soils are commonly reddish to brown and rich in clay. They vary in fertility, and in many areas crops can be grown continuously only if fertilizers are applied. On poorer soils, a shifting subsistence agriculture is practiced.
How long is the Panama Canal?
Overview of the Panama Canal. Since 1914 the 51-mile- (82-km-) long Panama Canal, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, has afforded a long-sought shortcut for shipping and assures the country’s standing as one of the most strategic transportation hubs of the world.
