Panama City
Location of Panama City in the province of Panamá
Panama City ( Spanish Panamá ) is the capital and seat of government of the Central American country of Panama and with more than 880,000 inhabitants, the largest city in the country. It lies in the south of the country in the province of Panama on the Pacific coast, just east of the Panama Canal. The modern city is the economic, political, cultural and tourist center of the country. In economic terms, it is a world city.
History
The Spanish Governor Pedro Arias Dávila founded on August 15, 1519 Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Panamá about 10 km east of the present town center (Casco ). On August 15, 1521, the city received its present name and its current coat of arms. The discovery of the Inca Empire in Peru, the city soon became an important trading center. The riches of the Incas were transported from here to Europe. In 1671 it was destroyed by the English pirate Henry Morgan and then about 5 km south-west of it, in its current location, newly built. After the city was sacked in the aftermath of numerous pirate, trade became less important. The city grew thanks to its geographical location on the Isthmus of Panama soon in importance. Panama City experienced but only after the construction of the Panama Canal increased growth. 1903 Panama City was declared the capital.
The construction of the first railway line and eventually the Panama Canal, the city took an enormous economic boom in the late 19th and especially the 20th century. Currently, the city is undergoing a rapid growth in size, but not only immigration but also real estate speculation and possibly the laundering of Colombian drug money play a role.
Government and administration
Mayor since the change of government from 1 July 2009 Bosco Vallarino (CD). He succeeds Juan Carlos Navarro ( PRD).
Economy
Panama City is today a major international banking and offshore center. Due to the tax regime of the country, the place has developed in connection with the establishment of large banks from the late 1970s to a major international banking center.
104 mainly international banks have their headquarters in the city or entertain branch or branches, in almost any other place in the world there are more bank branches. A major economic factor is the service sector and the ship traffic to the port in the west of the city. There are five major multi-storey shopping malls and shopping streets like Avenida Central.
Education
In addition to numerous schools, there are the public universities University of Panama (UP, comparable to the free Unis), Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá ( UTP, the Technical University ), the private universities Universidad Católica Santa María La Antigua ( USMA, Catholic), and the Universidad Latina.
Media
Panama City is the place of publication for major national newspapers in Spanish as Mi Diario, El Panamá América, La Estrella de Panamá, inter alia, La Prensa was founded in 1980 with the aim to establish a newspaper that is free of government influence. She has (as of 2010 ) a circulation of 65,000 copies.
Also, here are some English newspapers are published.
Architecture
With the expansion of Panama 's financial center for Central America an unprecedented growth of small metropolis has occurred. In the city there are eight of the ten largest skyscrapers in Latin America, only 22 skyscrapers over 200 meters in height have Panama provides a channel for over flashing skyline. In addition to modern architecture and historic buildings have been preserved. The old city area ( Panamá la Vieja ) has been preserved as a ruin site and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003. In addition to the central plaza with cathedral, town hall and bishop's palace and several monasteries, the hospital and a few upper-class residential buildings have been preserved. Archaeological investigations involving the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen try, among other things, to win more detailed statements on urban development and the social topography within the city.
Traffic
The public transport is inadequate expanded in the city. A 13.6 km long metro line with 11 stops between the Albrook bus terminal in the south and the Mall Los Andes in the north since 2010 under construction. It is scheduled to open in 2014. An expansion of a busway system is planned. The city has a railway station on Panama's only railway line that runs from Panama City to Colon. The track is however mainly used by freight traffic. The Panama International Airport (Aeropuerto Internacional de Tocumen ), located about 24 km east outside the city limits. The city has at Balboa east of the channel over an important seaport. West of the city is the Bridge of the Americas (Spanish Puente de las Américas ), a 1669.20 meter long arch bridge that crosses the canal. The bridge was opened in 1962 until 2004 the only bridge between the southern and the northern part of Central America. Currently, there are fierce dispute over the construction of a bypass road that will lead to the sea side four lanes around the old town. The UNESCO threatens therefore with the deletion of the list of world cultural heritage. It is a prestigious project of the government.
Attractions
- Panama Canal Miraflores Locks
- Pedro Miguel locks
Twin Cities
- Taipei, Republic of China ( since 1989)
- Incheon, South Korea (since 2000)
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA
Sons and daughters of the town
- Augusto Samuel Boyd (1879-1957), 19th President of Panama
- Juan Arosemena Demóstenes Barreati (1879-1939), 17th President of Panama
- Daniel chanis Pinzón (1892-1961), 24th President of Panama
- Pedro Rebolledo (1895-1963), composer
- Ernesto de la Guardia Navarro (1904-1983), 30th President of Panama
- Herbert de Castro (1905-1969), composer
- Roque Cordero (1917-2008), composer
- Jorge E. Illueca (1918-2012), lawyer, politician, Foreign Minister, President of the 38th UN General Assembly and President of Panama
- Enrique Grau (1920-2004), painter and sculptor
- Carlos Fuentes (1928-2012), Mexican writer
- Ricardo de la Espriella Toral ( b. 1934 ), 34th President of Panama
- Erick Arturo del Valle ( born 1937 ), 40th President of Panama
- Nicolás Ardito Barleta Vallarino ( born 1938 ), 39th President of Panama
- Ernesto Pérez Balladares ( b. 1946 ), President of Panama
- Mireya Moscoso ( born 1946 ), President of Panama from 1999 to 2004
- Rubén Blades ( b. 1948 ), singer and actor
- Roberto Duran (* 1951), Boxer
- Mariano Rivera (born 1969 ), baseball player for the New York Yankees
- Martín Torrijos ( born 1963 ), President of Panama
- Jordana Brewster ( born 1980 ), American actress