CENTRAL AMERICA
Nestled between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, the seven countries of Central America including Costa Rica &
Panama create the narrow bridge linking North and South America. The isthmus totals just 202,000square miles of land,
but includes several mountain ranges, chains of volcanoes, crosses the Caribbean tectonic plate and fault lines, and
includes climate zones ranging from semi-desert to cloud forest. It is an area of vast diversity and natural action.
Costa Rica
The easy-going attitude of most Ticos (Costa Ricans) is no happy accident—it’s the conscientious embodiment of the
country’s unofficial mantra, Pura Vida—the pure life. The country’s guiding philosophy puts happiness, peacefulness, and
gratitude for all that they have at the forefront and, in addition to being a way of life, can often be heard as a greeting or as a
response to questions such as, “How are you?” Consistently rating high on worldwide indices measuring population’s
abilities to thrive, Costa Rica is currently #1 on the Happy Planet Index and ranks #2 on the Gallup Poll’s Global WellBeing Index.
SAN JOSÉ
Located in the Central Valley between rugged volcanic mountains, San José is in a prime spot to showcase the country’s
landscape and history. While technically in a tropical rainforest climate zone where rain can occur any time, the city
receives plenty of sunshine and due to its elevation at over 3,900feet, temperatures are relatively mild. The city was
originally founded by Spanish colonials in 1738 with the building of a small chapel. In 1823, San José was named the
country’s capital and today, is home to over 288,000 Ticos.
Panama
The southernmost country along the Central American isthmus, Panama has long been a launching point for explorers.
Early hunters and gatherers were some of the first to make pottery in the Americas and the country includes a valuable
number of Pre-Columbian archeological sites. During Spanish colonization, the area was fraught with unrest due to the
actions of the conquistadores, resistance of the native populations to new government and new religion, and frequent
marauding by pirates. Panama broke away from Spain in the 1820’s, and was part of Columbia until succeeding in 1903.
PANAMA CITY
Present-day Panama City, home to 800,000 people, is located several miles down peninsula from its original site.
Founded in 1519, fires, earthquakes, and attacks by indigenous people damaged parts of the city over many years. But
the site wasn’t abandoned until 1671 when pirates, led by the dreaded Henry Morgan, burned it to the ground. Today,
the ruins of Panama Viejo are an important part of the city’s history and are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
PANAMA CANAL
Undoubtedly the country’s most famous landmark, the French originally broke ground on the canal in 1881 and in 1905,
they sold the project to the United States. During US construction, over 56,000 workers were employed and nearly 5,600
died; 268 million cubic yards of earth were moved; 2 artificial lakes and 4 dams were constructed; and the continental
divide was lowered 220 feet.
The canal officially opened in 1914. To date, over 1 million vessels have made passage through the canal rising 85 feet above
sea level by way of three sets of locks—Miraflores, Pedro Miguel, and Gatun. The US returned control of the canal to
Panama in 1999.
REV-052015
•