Panama

Panama is a new country in my collection, thanks to Anyi. Panama is the southmost country of Central America, covering the area of app. 75 000 square kilometres. The populations is about 3.6 million. The capital and largest city is Panama City, which can be seen above. 

Panama was inhabited by several indigenous tribes prior to settlement by the Spanish in the 16th century. It broke away from Spain in 1821 and joined a union of Nueva Granada, Ecuador, and Venezuela named the Republic of Gran Colombia.  With the backing of the United States, Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903, allowing the Panama Canal to be built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between 1904 and 1914. In 1977, an agreement was signed for the total transfer of the Canal from the United States to Panama by the end of the 20th century, which culminated on 31 December 1999.