panama









panama


noun

  1. a republic in S Central America. 28,575 sq. mi. (74,010 sq. km).
  2. Also called Panama City. a city in and the capital of Panama, at the Pacific end of the Panama Canal.
  3. Isthmus of. Formerly Isthmus of Darien. an isthmus between North and South America.
  4. Gulf of, the portion of the Pacific in the bend of the Isthmus of Panama.
  5. (sometimes lowercase) Panama hat.

noun

  1. a republic in Central America, occupying the Isthmus of Panama: gained independence from Spain in 1821 and joined Greater Colombia; became independent in 1903, with the immediate area around the canal forming the Canal Zone under US jurisdiction; Panama assumed sovereignty over the Canal Zone in 1979 and full control in 1999. Official language: Spanish; English is also widely spoken. Religion: Roman Catholic majority. Currency: balboa. Capital: Panama City. Pop: 3 559 408 (2013 est). Area: 75 650 sq km (29 201 sq miles)
  2. Isthmus of Panama an isthmus linking North and South America, between the Pacific and the Caribbean. Length: 676 km (420 miles). Width (at its narrowest point): 50 km (31 miles)Former name: Darien, Isthmus of Darien
  3. Gulf of Panama a wide inlet of the Pacific in Panama

probably from an unknown Guarani word, traditionally said to mean “place of many fish.” Originally the name of the settlement founded 1519 (destroyed 1671 but subsequently rebuilt). Panama hat, made from the leaves of the screw pine, attested from 1833, a misnomer, because it originally was made in Ecuador, but perhaps so called in American English because it was distributed north from Panama City. Panama red as a variety of Central American marijuana is attested from 1967. Republic on the Isthmus of Panama, which connects Central America and South America, bordered by Costa Rica to the west, and Colombia to the east. Its capital and largest city is Panama City.

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