Central American Isthmus

Paleontologists are studying rocks collected during excavation work which they say will help explain the geological history of the isthmus.

A Trans-Continental Island

Looking for a trans-continental island that is a 3-day cruise to the Panama canal.

Captain Morgan’s cannons

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A river runs through the Geo Quiz: The Central American river on our radar today has been a busy waterway for the past five centuries. Columbus was the first European to spot it during his 4th voyage in 1502. Other Spanish explorers followed. Pirates and traders famously plied these waters including the famed Captain Henry Morgan. Download MP3

An alternative to the Panama Canal?

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The Panama Canal revolutionized trade between the nations of the Atlantic and the Pacific when it opened in 1914. Now Colombia and China are talking about building an alternative to the Canal. In an interview last week with The Financial Times, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said planning for the project is “quite advanced”. From the Colombian capital, Bogota, John Otis reports. Download MP3

Panama! 3

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We’re going to hear a little music from Panama for today’s Global Hit. Specifically music recorded between 1960 to 1975. It’s from a CD is called Panama 3. It’s part a three CD collection of historic music from Panama released by Sound Way records. We hear from music critic Tom Schnabel.

Geo Quiz answer

For today’s Geo Quiz, we asked what direction you’re travelling in if you’re crossing the Panama by train from the Pacific to the Atlantic. The answer is northwest. Reporter Murray Carpenter recently took the train ride and sent us an audio postcard. Listen

Clearing a Path for the Jaguar

National parks around the world provide important refuge for people and wildlife. They’re places where humans can reconnect with the natural world and where animals are protected from human encroachment. But parks rarely provide enough habitat to ensure the survival of an entire species. This is especially true of large predators like jaguars. Jaguars are the biggest cats in the all of the Americas. And in Central America, scientists are trying to protect Jaguars by finding and protecting the corridors that the cats use as they roam from park to park. Julia Kumari Drapkin reports from Panama.

Old Forests vs. New: Do Critters Care?

Correspondent Julia Kumari Drapkin reports from Panama on the debate over the conservation importance of tropical forest that are growing back after being cut. View the audio slideshow

Panama: A historical perspective

A century ago, the building of the Panama Canal and construction of Lake Gatun was met with great fanfare. It captured the attention of the world, showing that the seemingly impossible was indeed possible. The engineers were heroes, household names. Newspapers were obsessed with how much earth would be excavated to build the canal – [...]

Part III: Panama fossils

Panama wants to make its famous canal bigger and better. The government is enlarging the waterway to allow more and larger ships to pass through it. 7,000 people will work on widening the canal. Some are doing a different kind of digging. Paleontologists are already following along the excavation. They’re searching for fossils. And they’re [...]

Part II: Developing Panama City

Today we continue our series exploring the expansion of the Panama Canal. Panamanians recently voted in favor of a $5 billion project to upgrade the century-old waterway. A wider passageway will be able to accommodate larger ships… and bring in more money. Panama has run the canal since 1999, when the American government handed over [...]

Part I: The Big Canal

A century ago, American engineers embarked on what was then the greatest building project in history. It took 10 years and 75,000 men to construct. Three presidents oversaw its completion. Teddy Roosevelt called it, “the giant engineering feat of the ages.” We’re talking about the Panama Canal. Now a hundred years later, Panama is in [...]

Panama series

The century-old Panama Canal has become too small for today’s massive ships. So the country decided to widen the canal. The World’s Jason Margolis went to Panama to report on the excavation project, to examine the engineering, and Panama City’s current explosive growth.