Nicknames for Panama City include the “Crossroads of the World” and “Hub of the Americas” due to its proximity to the busy Panama Canal, or simply Panama.
Panama City is the only national capital city containing a rainforest within city boundaries. Panama City’s rainforest is the second largest in the Western Hemisphere.
Research website numbeo ranks Panama City in fourth place among the Central American cities evaluated on its overall quality of life index at June 2020. Panama City scores relatively well on index factors such as safety, cost of living, traffic commute time and climate.
Guinness World Records showcases Panama City several times. One example is Panama City as the site for the largest shipping register ever when 8,052 ships were registered under the Panamanian flag on September 9, 2017. Another achievement took place on October 16, 2019 when the worlds largest fried plantain fritter was created in Panama City, coming in at 245.59 pounds (111.4 kilograms). The dish’s diameter measured 11.48 feet (3.5 meters) and was made from 1,200 plantains.
Panama exported an estimated US$5.7 billion worth of goods around the globe in 2019. The most valuable exports are crude oil (15.1% of Panama’s global total), copper ores and concentrates (10.2%), drugs and medicines (7.1%), bananas including plantains (6.7%), coal tar oils (5.4%), cruise or cargo ships (5.3%), gold (2.4%), smartphones (2.1%), cars (1.7%) and frozen fish fillets (1.2%) according to the International Trade Centre.
Capital Facts for Panama City Panama: Quick Reference
Geography
Capital landmarks: Panama Canal, Balboa Avenue, Amador Causeway, San Jose Church, Bridge of the Americas and Francia Plaza
Famous People
Below, you will find 10 of the most famous people born in Panama City, Panama.
- Jordana Brewster, actress (born Apr. 26, 1980)
- Mariano Rivera, professional baseball pitcher (born Nov. 29, 1969)
- Rolando Blackman, NBA basketball player (born Feb. 26, 1959)
- Rubén Blades, singer & actor (born Jul. 16, 1948)
- Lori Heuring, actress (born Apr. 6, 1973)
- Roberto Kelly, professional baseball outfielder (born Oct. 1, 1964)
- Eddy Lover, reggae singer-songwriter (born Mar. 15, 1985)
- Ricardo Martinelli, former president (born Mar. 11, 1951)
- Clinton Kelly, fashion consultant & TV personality (born Feb. 22, 1969)
- Carlos Carrasco, actor & director (born Apr. 5, 1948)
- Manuel Noriega, former military leader (born Feb. 11, 1934)
Note: Data for our Famous People tab was sourced from Google searches mostly targeting published Wikipedia articles specific to each person’s name.
Population
Demonym for a Panama resident: Panamanians
Population: 1,860,300 (Panama City) at July 12, 2020
Density: 1,882 people per square mile 726 per square kilometer)
Population: 4,317,100 (Panama) at July 12, 2020
Density: 150 people per square mile (58 per square kilometer)
Median age for all Panama: 29.7 years old
Financial
GDP: US$113.2 billion for 2019 (Panama)
GDP per person: $26,821
Note: The above country-level GDP metrics are on a Purchasing Power Parity basis and are in U.S. dollars. Credible city GDP statistics for Panama City were unavailable.
Official currencies used in Panama City: Panamanian balboa, U.S. dollar
Research
Research Sources:
Atlas & Boots, The World’s Most Expensive Cities for Expats 2016.
Brookings Institution, Global Metro Monitor Report (includes GDP data).
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Central America & Caribbean: Panama .
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Field Listing: Major Urban Areas.
CityMetric, Where are largest cities in the world? 2015 edition.
Demographia, World Urban Area, 12th Annual Edition.
Guinness World Records, Largest shipping register.
Huffington Post, The World’s 12 Best Places To Live Or Retire In 2016.
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Databases.
International Trade Centre, Trade Map.
Mercer, 2016 Cost of Living Rankings.
Numbeo, Quality of Life Index by City.
Official Government Website, Municipality of Panama.
Wikimedia Commons, City Flags.
Note: Some city flags were unavailable. If so, attribution belongs to Wikimedia Commons for pertinent country flags.
Wikipedia, Panama.
Wikipedia, Panama City.
WorldOMeter, Panama Population.
Panama separated from Colombia on November 3, 1903. Panamanians celebrate Independence Day as a public holiday each November 3.
With a land mass measuring 988.7 square miles (2,560.8 square kilometers), Panama City’s metropolitan area was home to 1.9 million residents at July 12, 2020.
At the country-level, Panama’s population count is 4.3 million within a land area extending over 28,703 square miles (74,340 square kilometers).
Population density is more concentrated in Panama City’s vast metropolitan area thanks to its average 1,882 people per square mile (726 per square kilometer).
Zooming out to Panama’s national land boundaries, population density dilutes to an average 150 Panamanians per square mile (58 per square kilometer).
