You can only view the sun rise over the Pacific and set over the Atlantic Ocean in Panama. Only in Panama can you view the sun rise over the Pacific Ocean and set over the Atlantic Ocean from the summit of the country’s highest mountain, Volcan Baru.
On the short land strait that connects North and South America, known as the Isthmus of Panama, is the Central American nation of Panama. The isthmus-shaped nation, which has more than 1,600 islands off its Pacific and Atlantic coasts, is best known for being the home of the Panama Canal, which cuts through its centre. It is also renowned for its stunning natural surroundings, diverse plant and animal life, including hundreds of different bird and tree species, as well as its thriving music and culture.
Native American tribes including the Guaym, Kuna, and Chocó lived in Panama, which later became the first Spanish colony in the Pacific. It was hailed as “the door to the seas and key to the universe,” and it acted as a staging area for the Spanish conquest of the Inca empire in the 1530s. Up until the 19th century, it was also a point of transshipment for gold and silver headed for Spain.
With the independence of Colombia, which had previously governed Panama, from Spain, Panama became another staging site, this time for ocean-going migrants to California’s gold fields.
