Land and People
In the west are rugged mountains (Volcán Barú is 11,401 ft/3,475 m high)
of volcanic origin, which yield in the middle of the country to low
hills; there is a low mountain range in the east. Lowlands line both the
Caribbean and Pacific coasts, and there are numerous offshore islands.
The climate is generally tropical with abundant rainfall. Colón, a major
port, is the second largest city, and David is the third largest city.
More than half the population is urban. The population is primarily
mestizo, although the building of the canal brought large numbers of
people from the West Indies and other parts of the world, many of whom
stayed and intermarried with the indigenous population. Spanish is the
official language, and many Panamanians also speak English. The
population is almost entirely Roman Catholic. There are two universities
in the country. Panama time is five hours behind Greenwich Mean Time
(GMT) and one hour ahead of Central American countries (if you are
arriving from Costa Rica, remember to change your watch). Panama is the
same time as USA Eastern Standard Time when US time is not adjusted for
daylight savings; during USA daylight savings time, Panama equals US
Central time.
Electricity: mainly 110v - some 220v. One interpretation of the
name “Panama” in a local Indian language is said to be “an abundance of
fish”.
![[Country Flag of Panama]](http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/edu/ref/wf/2005/f/pm-lgflag.gif)
er image.