Peace Corps PanamáPeace Corps Service

in the Republic of Panamá

1995-1997

An Overview of Panamá

• Location– Borders are Costa Rica to the west, Columbia to the East,

the Caribbean Sea to the North and the Pacific Ocean to the South

– Lies approximately 7 degrees above the equator.• Size

– Slightly smaller than South Carolina

An Overview of Panamá

• Geography– Interior – steep, rugged mountains– Coastal – plains and rolling hills

View from La Laguna de San Carlos

Agriculture in the Chiriquí Province – adaptations to the mountainous terrain

Isla San José, Pearl Islands

Portrero in the Caribbean lowlands of the Bocas del Toro Province

Isla Colón, Bocas del Toro Archipelago

Denuded foothills in central Veraguas

Tres monjas, Isla San José, Pearl Islands

An Overview of Panamá

• Climate – tropical, hot, and humid!!!– Rainy Season – May to

January– Dry Season – January to

May

Darien Rainforest at the Entrance of the Rio Sambu

La Laguna de San Carlos as an Agua Cerro Approaches

Flooded roads and fields 10 minutes after an agua cerro hits

“Poor Man’s Umbrella.”

Another Common Umbrella

An Overview of Panamá

• Population – Estimated 2.9 million (2003)– 1.2 million people live in Panama City

• People– Mestizo 70%, West Indian 14%, Caucasian 10%,

Amerindian 6%

Panama City

A city of stark contrasts

Coming into Panama City on an overcast day

Section of depauperate housing near French Quarter

Panama City French Quarter church

Quiet early morning streets of the French Quarter

An Overview of Our Service

• Training in Costa Rica - 3 months

• Sites in Panama –– Chitra, Veraguas, 6 months– La Laguna, Coclé, 1 ½ years

• Total Length of Peace Corps Service:– 2 years and 3 months

Overview of Our Work

• Primary Job– Agroforestry Volunteers:

• Taught sustainable agricuture and reforestation

• Secondary Project – Important Bird Areas of Panamá:

• A joint project run by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the Panamá Audubon Society