What is the geography of Panama?
Panama is the southernmost of the Central American countries bordered on the west by Costa Rica, on the east by Colombia, on the north by the Caribbean coastline and on the south by the Pacific coastline. The total land area is 78,046 sq km. The Panama Canal, which is about 80km long, divides the country into eastern and western regions. There are about 480 rivers in Panama that drain into the Pacific Ocean or Caribbean Sea, and 1518 islands off the coasts. The two main island groups, both in the Caribbean, are the San Blas and Bocas del Toro Archipelago. Barro Colorado Island in Gatun Lake is home to a world renowned rain forest research station operated by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. Gatun is a large man-made lake in the middle of the Panama Canal. See more in our maps of Panama.
