Panama

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses Panama, a Central American republic, whose unique geographic location on the narrow strip of land connecting two continents (North and South America) and separating two oceans (the Pacific and Atlantic) has played a defining role in the country's history and the lives of its people. It looks at how apart from the importance of its location that gave rise to the famous Panama Canal connecting the two great oceans, the country lives in the shadow of the neighboring United States and much of its recent history and politics has been influenced by and intertwined with that of the U.S. It shows how despite these odds, the Panamanians have struggled to take charge of their own destiny by developing its own unique culture, system of government and an economy that did not depend solely on the canal.

Outline
Retrospective History of Panama
Contemporary Political History
Economic History
Social History
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Panama was "discovered" by the European/ Spanish explorers in the early sixteenth century who made it a part of the Spanish Empire, naming it the South Sea. A large number of the native Panamanian people were either killed by the colonists, died through the spread of foreign diseases against which they had no immunity or fled to remote regions of the country. Panama became an important crossroad and marketplace of the Spanish empire in the Americas. The silver, gold, spices, and other goods looted from various parts of South America were shipped to Panama City (built on the Pacific coast), carried across the strip of land (called the Isthmus) for onward journey on "treasure ships" to Spain. Panama was also an important shipment point in the slave trade from Africa during this period."

More papers on Panama:

• Essay # 36067 : "Panama Canal"
• Analytical Essay # 126787 : "Suez Canal and Panama Canal"
• Descriptive Essay # 105685 : "The Panama Canal"
• Research Paper # 61503 : "Deforestation in Panama"

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