Panama
Culture and Language
Panama's 2.8 million people are a mix of diverse origins: Spanish and African descendants, indigenous, immigrants from North America, Europe, Asia, and East India, and mixes of all of the above. Panama is truly a melting pot of races. Almost half of the population lives in urban areas, and Panama City has an estimated population of nearly one million.
There are 5 indigenous groups in Panama: Kunas in the San Blas Islands on the Caribbean; Chocoe (divided linguistically into 2 groups-Embera & Wounaan) in the province of Darien; Ngobe Bugle in the provinces of Chiriqui, Bocas del Toro & Veraguas; and Teribes & Bokotas in Bocas del Toro province.
This mix of cultures leads to a diversity of languages as well, but visitors are most likely to hear Spanish and to be able to find English in the most-traveled parts of the country. English is more common in Panama than in most other Latin American countries because of the Panama Canal and historical presence of Americans.
