 The capital city of the Central American country of Panama, Panama City is
located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal and is a destination that some 708,738 call home. Famous as a banking centre and for its wealth of cultural and historic attractions, the city is popular with tourists, especially of North American origin since it can be reached so easily from Canadian and US soils.
 The city’s history is long and rich having once been the scene of gold rush activity; seeing the building the world's first transcontinental railway; becoming the focus of one of the longest manmade waterways on the planet and establishing a name for itself as the money-laundering capital of Central America.
 Today, the larger part of the city’s cultural heritage sits in a single place; Casco Viejo, the old town where ruins of classic Central American architecture still stand, proudly telling some fascinating tales of Panama’s past. Museums in the old quarter and elsewhere meanwhile, give a further insight into the cultural heritage of the city and the country it remains capital of.
 The Panama Canal, oft hailed as the ‘eighth wonder of the world’, is truly a masterpiece of engineering and provides the city with one of its most popular attractions. Trips along the lengthy 80kms it spans are equally popular taking in some of the city’s other interesting sights en route. A number of excellent vantage points are available from which the views of the canal are picture postcard and sure to make worthy additions to photo albums.
 The city is easily reached via its own international airport which offers connections across the Americas. Many visitors arrive for short stopovers on cruises that take them down the canal; there are however, no scheduled ferry services to the city. Once in Panama City, visitors will find a good local transportation infrastructure with buses providing the best means of getting around for many.
 Panama City is well used to receiving visitors and as such, is home to all the typical tourist amenities. Accommodation options are plentiful with everything from budget to five-star establishments. During the high season, rooms can fill up fairly quickly so it’s sensible to consider booking ahead.
History
 Following its founding by Pedro Arias de Ávila (who is also known as Pedrarias Dávila) on 15 August 1519, the city of Panama quickly became a hub of activity for the gold industry as well as an ideal location from which the explore and conquer Peru. In 1671, Henry Morgan and his 1400 strong army launched an offensive against the city, pursuing a tirade of looting and destruction which led to it being burnt to the ground. What’s left of that old city is now known as Panamá la Vieja (Old Panama) and is a popular tourist attraction. Construction of the new city began two years later on a site located some five miles southwest of the old one and this subsequently became known as Casco Viejo.
 In the mid-19th century, a railroad was constructed but it wasn’t until 1855 that it actually began operating. In the period from 1848 to 1869, a considerable volume of traffic made passage between the Atlantic and Pacific regions via the isthmus; bringing increased prosperity to the city. It was the construction of the Panama Canal however that had the most dramatic effect on the city’s development and infrastructure with improvements to its health and sanitation systems, among the more notable progressions.
 WWII saw Panama City used as an important strategic base with US military bases constructed which subsequently brought large numbers of both military and civilian personnel to the area and heralded a period of unprecedented prosperity. The Canal Zone adjacent to Panama City however, remained off limits to the majority of Panamanians causing tensions between them and the US citizens who resided in that area. Tensions culminated in violence on 9 January 1964; a day which has since become known as Martyrs' Day.
 The 70s and 80s saw Panama City become an international banking centre and a centre also for illegal financial activities such as money laundering. In 1989, the US, under the government of George H. Bush, staged an invasion of Panama City in order to depose the country’s leader, General Manuel Noriega. Military skirmishes resulted in the destruction of a fraction of the shanty neighbourhood known as El Chorrillo however the US later replaced the burnt structures with modern apartment blocks in recompense.
 Panama City remains a significant centre of banking activity, although today it is almost entirely legal activity with tight controls making it hard for anything suspicious to be pursued.
Weather
 Separated by the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, Panama City is subject to a predominantly tropical climate in which periods of rain and sunshine alternate across the seasons. Likes other Central American countries, there are definite wet and dry seasons but Panama’s location between the oceans gives it some fairly unique climatic characteristics.
 The dry season runs from mid December to mid April and is characterised by both high temperatures and relative humidity. This is certainly the best time to take a holiday, especially if you like a lazy holiday as temperatures often soar into the 30’s, precluding any activity outside of an air-conditioned environment. Sea breezes however make the beach a viable destination although sun worshippers are strongly advised to seek the shade of an umbrella between 11:00 and 15:00.
 The rainy season runs from May to November and sees slightly cooler temperatures but up to and sometimes over an inch of rain per day. Showers are fairly predictable however, generally occurring in the late afternoon so activities requiring dry conditions can often be pursued before then. As a general rule; the Caribbean/Atlantic coastal areas tend to receive higher volumes of rainfall than those on the Pacific side. Early mornings can be cool in the wet season and you might want to pack a sweater or light jacket, especially if you are planning any trips into the mountains.
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