Panama is a natural land bridge that connects North and Central America with South America. Both the northwestern and eastern halves of Panama as well as the canal zone is dominated by rain forests teeming with animal and plant species from both continents. More bird species live in Panama than in North America. In total, there are 954 indigenous bird species plus hundreds of migrating bird species. Panama is also home to 225 mammal species, 214 reptile species and 143 amphibious species, as well as host to more than 10,000 plant species.

Panama provides visitors with an abundance of protected areas. More than 29 percent of Panama's land mass is given over to 15 national parks, a dozen forest reserves and 10 wild life sanctuaries.

There are hundreds of islands near the Panamanian coasts. The two major archipelagos are the San Blas and Bocas del Toro chains in the Caribbean, though the best snorkeling, diving and deep-sea fishing are to be found in the Pacific near Coiba Island and the Pearl Islands. Panama has flat coastal lowlands and two mountain chains running along its spine. The highest peak is Volc??n Bar?? at 11,400ft.

There are two seasons. The dry season lasts from January to mid-April and the rainy season from mid-April to December. Rainfall is heavier on the Caribbean side of the highlands, though most people live on or near the Pacific coast. Temperatures are typically hot in the lowlands (between 70F and 90F) and cool in the mountains (between 50F-64F).

The culture, customs, and language of the Panamanians are predominantly Caribbean Spanish. Ethnically, the majority of the population is mestizo or mixed Spanish, Indian, Chinese, and West Indian. Spanish is the official and dominant language; English is a common second language spoken by the West Indians and by many in business and the professions. More than half the population lives in the Panama City/Colón metropolitan corridor.

The local folklore can be experienced through a multitude of festivals, dances and traditions that reflect the influence of the different ethnic groups that make up the country. To the north, in Colón Province, the traditions of African influence are observed such as Congo drums dating back to the era of slavery and the Black Christ feast. In the south, the May Pole ceremony is found in Bocas del Toro, which is a European tradition. Throughout the country year-round festivals take place in each town in honor of the Patron Saint of each town. The Panamanian carnival, held before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, is a colorful celebration of the mix of different customs of all the ethnic groups.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Panamanian Spanish is the Spanish language as spoken in Panama. It is also spoken by people of Panamanian descent in other countries, including the United States. It has some similarities with other Central American and Caribbean Spanish variants. Because of the close historical ties between the United States and Panama, including the American administration of the Panama Canal Zone for over 80 years, and military installations in Panama until the 1990s, Panamanian Spanish has absorbed much vocabulary from English.

Pronunciation

·There's no distinction in sound between ce, ci, s and z. All of them sounds as s.

·There's no distinction in sound between y and ll (except of course for the y in words where it sounds as an i).

·There's no distinction in sound between j and ge, gi.

·H is aspired in a few words: halar (to pull) pronounced jalar, humarse (to get drunk) pronounced jumarse and a very few others.

·There's no distinction in sound between b and v. Both sounds as b.

·In very informal speech, the d in words ending in -ado is dropped: "pescado" (fish that has been caught) is pronounced pescao (pesca'o). Other examples are "envenenado" (poisoned) = envenena'o, "botado" (dumped) bota'o, etc.

External links

• Examples of local expressions
• http://www.a42.com/node/view/174
• http://CentralAmerica/Panama/Culture.htm
• http://www.antimoon.com/forum/posts/6973.htm
• http://wikitravel.org/en/Panama
• http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/j/m/jml34/Canary.htm
• ILISA Instituto de Idiomas Spanish language school