Posts tagged Bocas Del Toro

There are many stories that speak about various sources from where the name Panama has been derived from. Many of the people speak about the name being derived from an indigenous language that is unspecified. The name might have been taken from the words that might mean “an abundance of butterflies” or even “an abundance of fish”.

There is another funny tale that speaks about the indigenous kuna word “bannaba”. The meaning of this word is “farther that way”. This word stands for the directions that the indigenous kuna people gave to those who came to find gold in this area. Panama is also the name of a particular variety of tree that is found in the land of Panama.

Politics in Panama

The type of government in the land is that of a presidential representative democratic republic. The President is the head of the state and he is in control of the government and there is a pluriform multi-party system. The government exercises all the executive powers. Both the government and the National assembly have all the legislative powers but it is the judiciary that is absolutely independent of both the legislature and the executive.

The divisions of Panama

The land of Panama is divided into 9 provinces and the 75 districts or municipalities. Chiriquí, Darién, Bocas del Toro, Panamá, Herrera, Ngöbe-Buglé,  Los Santos,Colón, Coclé, Provincial-level comarcas,  Emberá, Veraguas and  Kuna Yala.

Geography of the land

Panama is located right in the center of the American continent bordered by both the North Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The isthmus forms the connection between the two land masses and it is indeed a strategic position. It was by 1999 that Panama had the controlling power of the canal. There is nearly an impenetrable forest that lies in the Darien Gap that is in between the lands of Colombia and Panama. It is due to this that there is a break in the Pan-American Highway that would have other wise completed the road link between Chile and Alaska.

The demographics of the land

The culture, language and customs of the Panamanians are mainly Caribbean Spanish. There is a wide mixture in the population that is mostly made up of mestizo or the mixed Spanish, Amerindian, Chinese and African descent. The native and the most popular language is Spanish and then comes English that is spoken the many West Indians. Majority of the population lives in the Panama City-Colón metropolitan corridor.

Most of the people are Roman Catholics but some of the other religions in this land are the Protestantism, Judaism, Buddhism, the Bahai faith and Hinduism to some extent. Immigration of the Jewish people started from the latter part of the 19th century and it is basically due to this that there are about three synagogues in the city of Panama. Besides the Jews there are also the South Asians, Muslims and the East Asians. There are also the native people in this land and they are the Emberá, Kuna,Ngöbe, Wounaan, Buglé, Bribri and the Naso (Teribe).

Panama is a fascinating country that is full of life, vibrancy and color and so not only the visitors and the tourists but also the residents feel the sheer beauty and the warmth of the land.