Sam+Kapner

__** Panama **__ By: Sam Kapner Image Source: []

__**FLAG**__ The blue and the red in the flag symbolize the two political parties in Panama (Conservatives and Liberals). The white shows the peace between them. The blue star stands for civil virtues of purity and honesty. The red star signifies authority and law. Image Source: []

__**MAP**__ Key: Star-Capitol City Light Blue Lines-Border /\/\/\/\/\/\-Mountains Black Dot- Cities Dark Blue Line- River/Lakes

__Description of Map__ //There are a lot of people who live in Panama City and Colon. There is the Gatun Lake right there. There is also a lot of forest there, which would make people want to live there. They would get the lake, Which could provide some jobs and the forest which would provide many jobs.//

//I// // mage Source: // [] []

**Profile**
 * 1) The combined Male/Female literacy rate in Panama is 91.9%. This may indicate that they have a pretty good, but not great education system.
 * 2) The life expectancy in Panama for male is 75.02 years and for female is 80.68 years. This may indicate that women may take better care of themselves and that they have a good medical system.
 * 3) The major ethnic groups in Panama are Mestizo, Amerindian, West Indian and White. This shows that they are a pretty diverse country.
 * 4) 25.6% of the population in Panama is under the poverty line.That is more that ¼ of the country. This shows that they do not have a good economy.

//**__Climate and Geography__ **//

The climate and geography play a big part in the every day life of Panama. Panama is filled with rivers, around 500 rivers throughout the country of Panama. The highest part of Panama is called the Volcan Baru. This region is very tropical and the higher altitude influences the geography.

 There are various climate zones that are found all around Panama. These include tropical maritime, hot and humid, cloudy and rainy and a dry season. These different climates influence the soil and make the country a good place for agriculture. The agriculture helps the economy and this is how the people eat and do business inside and outside their country.

 Between the climate zones and the many rivers, the soil in Panama produces good vegetation. The vegetation and agriculture effects the way people live and their culture. Before the Panama Canal, most of the economy was based on agriculture. The rivers and soil produced shrimp, fish, sugar, coffee and bananas. Now, the Canal provides more imports and agriculture is a smaller part of every day life in Panama.

Panamanians dress the way they do based on the climate of their country. It is warm and rainy and people are prepared for those climates all the time. The good climate allows for lots of outdoor activities. The people of Panama play lots of sports, including baseball, tennis, gold and cycling. They also play basketball but mostly outdoor sports due to the warm climate. Panama is lucky to have such good weather.

__ Why You Should Know: __ Climate and Geography: When going to Panama, you will not need to pack so many different clothes. You will mainly just need shorts and tees. If you want to go hiking around the mountains you may need some boots but if you stay at the beaches you’ll just need a bunch of bathing suits. // ** __Historical Events__ ** // Panama may not be a very well known country, but some very important world and national events have occurred there. The first most important fact is that there are two celebrations of Independence. Panama’s first Independence was from Spain. The official day of their independence was November 28th 1821. There was just mostly protesting to ain this independence. This showed the world that Panama could fight for themselves. Their second Independence was from Colombia. After they became independent they joined the Republic of Gran Colombia. On November 3rd 1903, Panama left the Republic of Gran Colombia and officially became it’s own country. their wasn’t a war but there was a little attack on Panama city. A gunboat fired shells into Panama city wounding only three people. O their than that their separation was mostly protesting.

Another important historical event was the Torrijos-Carter treaty. The Panama Canal Treaty was two treaty's signed by both America and Panama. This took place In Washington D.C. on September 7th 1977. The Agreement meant that Panama would have control of the Panama Canal after 1999. The USA had control of the Panama Canal from 1903 after Panama became an independent country. This treaty was named after the two people who signed the treaty, American President Jimmy Carter and Commander of Panamas National Guard, General Omar Torrijos. This agreement established a trust between America and Panama. It was helpful to mostly Panama, but both America and Panama gained a new ally the day that the treaty was signed.

The US’s invasion on Panama was something huge for them. In December 1999 Panama was invaded by the US. There were over 200 Panamanians killed and a little less then 2000 captured. There were 23 Americans killed as well as 300 wounded. President Bush said that one of the main reasons for the attack was because the Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega threatened the lives of all 35,000 Americans living in Panama. Another reason was that President Bush said he wanted to take take down Noriega and restore democracy and human rights in Panama. This invasion also helped Panama trust the United States.

Former President Jimmy Carter with Panamanian General Omar Torrijos. __ Why You Should Know: __ Historical Events: Panama is a cool place to go, but before you arrive there you should read up about the place first. It has a very rich history. Some very cool and important things have happened there. Such as their multi-Independence's or the US history with Panama. I think knowing about the country will make the trip a lot more enjoyable.

//**__Arts and Literature__ **//

 Panama is filled with arts and culture. The main type of art in Panama is poetry, stories, paintings, sculpting, dancing and theater groups. I do not think the architecture in Panama is that interesting. Some of Panamas most common instruments are the mejoranera, the guiro, castanets, flutes, bells and drums. The mejoranera is an instrument that looks like a guitar, but only has 5 strings and it has a smaller circle in the middle. This instrument may have been influenced from the guiter or the other way around. A guiro is a instrument that has an opened ended side and is hollowed out. It has notches cut on the sides and you basically run a stick down it and it makes a sound like a grogger. Castenets are one of my favorite instruments. Castanets are like little clappers. Two seashell shaped pieces are tied to each other and you clap them together to make a rattling like sound. All of these instruments separate panama from other place. Their unique instruments really separate them from the rest of the world, music wise. It is a huge part of their culture. I think you know what flutes, bells and drums are.

Some famous artists from Panama are Ruben Blades, Daphne Rubin Vega, Luis Russel. Ruben Blades is a singer, songwriter, actor, politician, and lawyer. He was born in Panama City, Panama. He has had dozens of hit songs. He was also Minister of Tourism in Panama from 2004-2009. Daphne Rubin Vega is a dancer, singer and actress. She was also born in Panama City and is in mostly plays and musicals. The last person is Luis Russel. Luis Russel was a jazz pianist who was born Bocas Del Toro, Panama. In his late teens he moved to America. Those are just some of the famous artists from Panama.

I think a lot of Panamanian art is expressing culture. When people are telling stories they are telling about ancient Panama and what it used to be like. A lot of painters paint pictures of Panama, like the mountains which is a big part of illustrating their culture. They try to influence art into their everyday culture. Artists make sculptures of famous Panamanian leaders. Tourists see street artists while walking around in their everyday life. Artists are everywhere trying to show how vibrant the culture is. Panamanian art is filled with the country’s exciting culture. A Panamanian folk band. __Why You Should Know:__ Arts and Literature: When you're going to Panama you should be prepared to see a lot of art. There will be a lot of street art in Panama. There will also be some stories tellers in the cities. They like to tell stories of Panama’s culture or of some of it’s history. There will be a lot of musicians in the street playing for spare change. For a music enthusiast Panama is the place to go. //**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 90%; vertical-align: baseline;">__Religion Holidays and Festivals__ **// Panama is not really a diverse country religion wise. Over 80% of the country is Roman Catholic. This is because the Spaniards were the first people to settle in Panama (after the Aztecs) and the main religion in Spain is Roman Catholic. Out of the remaining people most of them are Protestant and then the rest are a few different religions. Roman Catholic is probably the biggest religion in all of Central America.

There are many different holidays celebrated in Panama. Some of the religious holidays are Christmas, Good Friday, Carnival, Easter and Ash Wednesday. Christmas is always December 25th. Most Panamanians that celebrate it usually spend time with their family at church during Christmas. Then they have a huge dinner and unwrap gifts at midnight. For Easter they have parades and marches through towns. It is also against the law to sell alcohol during Easter. Easter is usually in early April. Carnival is the two days before Ash Wednesday. It is like a Mardi - Gras, but it’s for Panama. People celebrate Carnival all through out the country. Carnival is usually in February.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 90%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Some of the non-religious holidays are Independence Day and Colon Day. Independence Day is November 28th. It is when Panama became separate country from Spain. They also have parades in the street, and some years alcohol is also banned. Colon Day is like another Independence Day. Colon Day is supposed to represent the day that Panama became it’s own country from Columbia. Panama having two independence days shows that they are a strong independent country. They are strong because they were able to rebel from their “owners” and become separate, while some country’s barely survive one independence. Panama has a lot of celebration and different festivities in their holidays. People celebrating Carnival with a street parade. __Why You Should Know:__ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #050505; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 90%; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Religion, Holidays and Festivals: If you’re looking for a place that will be a nice quiet getaway, then Panama probably won’t be the place for you to go. Panama has a bunch of holidays in the year, but the difference is that on these holidays instead of spending time with their family, they celebrate in the streets and party all day and night. Image Source for all Essays: [], [], [], []

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