Rio Abajo

A community located in Panama City, capital of the Republic of Panama, is composed of people of West-Indian and Creole heritage who moved mostly from Jamaica, Barbados and other islands in the Antilles around the time of the Panama Canal construction. This is, arguably, the birthplace of Panamanian patuá dialect, also referred to as Río Abajo Creole. This form of speech can be heard in other places such as the Bocas del Toro and Colón provinces.

The City of Knowledge

The City of Knowledge, referred to in Spanish as La Ciudad del Saber, is a government-sponsored project located in the former grounds of Fort Clayton by the Miraflores locks in the province of Panama, Republic of Panama. The purpose of the project is for it to house the world’s best academic, non-governmental and technological organizations in a single area. Some of the organizations that reside there are the Red Cross, UNICEF’s regional headquarters, the World Food Program, the UNPD (United Nations Program for Development), and several colleges and schools such as the Balboa Academy, San Martín University, Isthmus University, SIT, Iowa State, McGill University, University of Pennsylvania and more.

The Panama Bay

The Panama Bay, referred to in Spanish as Bahía de Panamá, is a large body of water located on the Pacific Coast of Panama and part of the Gulf of Panama. The Panama Bay can be appreciated best from the Punta Paitilla area or Balboa Avenue. The Intercontinental Miramar Hotel is located right on the shore, and due to pollution the bay is not yet safe to swim in. However, a plan to expand the oceanfront has also included work in order to sanitize the bay and make it safe for beachgoers.

Filed under: Panama on June 3rd, 2008