Isthmus of Panama 1404472 222749806 2008-06-30T22:38:11Z KimDabelsteinPetersen 1421777 /* Geology */ inline reference [[Image:Pm-map.png|thumb|450px|right|The Isthmus of Panama.]] The '''Isthmus of Panama''', also historically known as the '''Isthmus of Darien''', is the narrow strip of land that lies between the [[Caribbean Sea]] and the [[Pacific Ocean]], linking [[Central America|Central]] and [[South America]]. It was formed some 3 million years ago during the [[Pliocene]] epoch. It contains the nation of [[Panama]] and the [[Panama Canal]]. Like many [[isthmus]]es, it is a location of great strategic value. == History == [[Image:Balboa Voyage 1513.PNG|300px|thumb|right|Núñez de Balboa's travel route to the South Sea, 1513.]] {{Sectstub|date=May 2008}} [[Vasco Núñez de Balboa]] heard of the ''[[South Sea]]'' from the natives while sailing along the Caribbean coast. On [[September 25]] [[1513]] he saw the Pacific. Silver and gold from the [[viceroyalty of Peru]] were transported overland across the isthmus to [[Portobelo, Colón|Porto Bello]] where [[Spanish treasure fleet]]s shipped them to [[Seville]] ([[Cádiz]] from 1707). [[Lionel Wafer]] spent four years between 1680 and 1684 among the [[Cuna Indians]]. Scotland tried to establish a settlement in 1698 through the [[Darien scheme]]. [[Ferdinand de Lesseps]], the man behind the [[Suez Canal]], started a Panama Canal Company in 1880 that went bankrupt in 1889 in a [[Panama scandals|scandal]]. In 1902–04 the United States forced [[Colombia]] to grant independence to the ''department of the Isthmus'', bought the remaining assets of the PCC and [[Panama canal#History|finished the canal]] in 1914. == Geology == Before the present-day isthmus was created, water covered the area where Panama is today. A significant body of water (referred to as the [[Central American Seaway]]) separated the continents of North and South America, allowing the waters of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans to mix freely. Beneath the surface, two [[tectonic plate|plate]]s of the Earth's crust were slowly colliding, forcing the [[Pacific Plate]] to slide under the [[Caribbean Plate]]. The pressure and heat caused by this collision led to the formation of underwater [[volcano]]es, some of which grew large enough to form [[island]]s as early as 15 million years ago. Meanwhile, movement of the two tectonic plates was also pushing up the sea floor, eventually forcing some areas above sea level. Over time, massive amounts of [[sediment]] (sand, soil, and mud) from North and South America filled the gaps between the newly forming islands. Over millions of years, the sediment deposits added to the islands until the gaps were completely filled. By about 3 million years ago, an isthmus had formed between North and South America. Scientists believe the formation of the Isthmus of Panama is one of the most important geologic events in the last 60 million years. Even though only a small sliver of land relative to the sizes of continents, the Isthmus of Panama had an enormous impact on Earth's climate and its environment. By shutting down the flow of water between the two oceans, the [[land bridge]] re-routed [[ocean current]]s in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Atlantic currents were forced northward, and eventually settled into a new current pattern that we call the [[Gulf Stream]] today. With warm [[Caribbean]] waters flowing toward the northeast Atlantic, the climate of northwestern [[Europe]] grew warmer. (Winters there would be as much as 10&nbsp;°C colder in winter without the transport of heat from the Gulf Stream.) The Atlantic, no longer mingling with the Pacific, grew saltier. Each of these changes helped establish the global ocean circulation pattern in place today. In short, the Isthmus of Panama directly and indirectly influenced ocean and atmospheric circulation patterns, which regulated patterns of rainfall, which in turn sculpted landscapes.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=16401 | title=Panama: Isthmus that Changed the World | accessdate=2008-07-01 | publisher=[[NASA]] Earth Observatory }}</ref> Evidence also suggests that the creation of this land mass and the subsequent, warm wet weather over northern Europe resulted in the formation of an Arctic ice cap and contributed to the [[Quaternary glaciation|current ice age]]. The formation of the Isthmus of Panama also played a major role in [[biodiversity]] on the planet. The bridge made it easier for animals and plants to migrate between the two continents. This event is known in [[paleontology]] as the [[Great American Interchange]]. For instance, in North America today, the [[opossum]], [[armadillo]], and [[porcupine]] all trace back to ancestors that came across the land bridge from South America. Likewise, ancestors of [[bear]]s, [[cat]]s, [[dog]]s, [[horse]]s, [[llama]]s, and [[raccoon]]s all made the trek south across the isthmus. == Biosphere == As the connecting bridge between two vast land masses the Panamanian biosphere is crammed with overlapping fauna and flora from both North and South America. There are, for example, over 500 species of birds in the isthmus area. The tropical climate also encourages a myriad of large and brightly coloured species: insects, snakes, fish and reptiles. Divided along its length by a mountain range, the isthmus's weather is generally wet on the Atlantic (Caribbean) side but has a clearer division into wet and dry seasons on the Pacific side. ==References== * [http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=16401 Panama: Isthmus that Changed the World. NASA Earth Observatory.] * [http://web.princeton.edu/sites/english/eng321/WAFER.HTM A New Voyage and Description of the Isthmus of America (1695)], by [[Lionel Wafer]]. Excerpt from the 1729 Knapton edition. * [http://www.mypanamalive.com Tourism & travel information about Panama] {{commonscat|Isthmus of Panama}} [[Category:Landforms of Panama]] [[Category:Isthmuses|Panama]] [[Category:Natural history of Central America]] [[Category:Regions of South America]] <!-- interwiki --> [[zh-min-nan:Panamá Tē-kiap]] [[bg:Панамски провлак]] [[ca:Istme de Panamà]] [[cs:Panamská šíje]] [[da:Panamatangen]] [[de:Isthmus von Panama]] [[et:Panama maakitsus]] [[es:Istmo de Panamá]] [[eo:Istmo de Panamo]] [[eu:Panamako istmoa]] [[fr:Isthme de Panamá]] [[ko:파나마 지협]] [[id:Tanah Genting Panama]] [[is:Panamaeiðið]] [[it:Istmo di Panamá]] [[kk:Панама мойнағы]] [[lt:Panamos sąsmauka]] [[nl:Landengte van Panama]] [[ja:パナマ地峡]] [[no:Panamaeidet]] [[pl:Przesmyk Panamski]] [[pt:Istmo do Panamá]] [[ro:Istmul Panama]] [[ru:Панамский перешеек]] [[fi:Panaman kannas]] [[sv:Panamanäset]] [[th:คอคอดปานามา]] [[uk:Панамський перешийок]] [[zh:巴拿馬地峽]]