“All things are connected.” Mommzen
Panama Trans-Isthmus Railroad
PANAMA
What? You thought we would have a picture of the canal placed here? Everyone already knows about the Panama Canal and seen those pictures. Yes - Panama connects two continents and two oceans. Panama is the center of the Western Hemisphere.
But wait - there is more!
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From Wikipedia:
"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 currents 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 °C colder 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.[1]
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 bears, cats, dogs, horses, llamas, and raccoons all made the trek south across the isthmus."
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One can speculate that the rise of the Isthmus of Panama from the sea bed not only contributed to the habitability for our species in Europe - but that it also contributed greatly to the climate changes in Africa that made possible the evolution of man. So thank Panama (or blame it) for your existence?!
In 1855 the first railroad to join the Atlantic and Pacific oceans was built in Panama, before Panama separated from the country of Columbia. This is fourteen years before the transcontinental railroad was built in the United States. The Panama Railroad is only 48 miles long - but it took five years, eight million dollars, and seven thousand workers recruited from around the world (India, China, and the Caribbean Islands) to complete.
The Panama Railroad greatly facilitated the migration to the California gold rush and the settlement of the Western United States - and helped immensely with the logistics for the building of the Panama Canal.
Colorful clothes are not required on the buses - but we like to blend in with the natives - sometimes.
We thought the Welcome Sign looked better if I held it up higher.
Panama City is a lot like Miami - beaucoup banks, bucks, babes and palm trees.
The oldest part of Panama City - Casco Viejo.
And this is the modern part of Panama City.
Follow the links on the side bar for more details on Panama.