PANAMA

PRE-COLUMBIA HISTORY

• The earliest artifacts found have been dated to 2500 BC
• The Chibchan, Chocoan, and Cueva people lived there first
• Nobody really knows how many people lived there

COLONIZATION

• Rodrigo de Bastidas, came from Venezuela in 1501 in search of gold
• Christopher Columbus came in 1502
• Panama became the crossroads and marketplace of Spain's empire
• Panama was under Spanish rule for about 300 years (1538–1821)
• November 10th, 1821 they declared independance

COLUMBIAN HISTORY

• Panama was a department of Colombia, voluntarily becoming part of it
• They stayed a department for 80 years
• They attempted to secede several times
• They came close to becoming independent after the 1,000 day war
• November 1903 they became fully independent

PANAMA CANAL

• Construction from 1903-1914
• The USA dug it and protected it
• Connected the Atlantic to the Pacific

EXPORTS

• Antibiotics 28%
• Coal 6%
• Ships 6%

CULTURE

• European art and music has strong a influence today
• They have several festivals a year
• There is a lot of influence from USA in their sports

DANCE

• Symbol of diversity
• Fusion of African and Native American styles
• Tells myths

SPORTS

• Baseball is their national sport
• 140 Panamanians have played baseball in the USA
• Four boxers have entered the international hall of fame
• Other popular sports include volleyball, taekwondo, soccer, golf, and tennis.

ISSUES

• Food surplus
• Waste
• Poverty
• Extreme poverty

ECONOMY

• Growing quickly
• Canal expansion
• Tourism

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama#Culture