Harpy Eagle
The harpy eagle is Panama's national bird and one of the largest eagles on Earth, powerful enough to snatch a monkey or sloth right out of the rainforest canopy.
Flag of Panama
Field Report
Panama is a narrow, S-shaped country in Central America that connects North America to South America like a land bridge between two giant puzzle pieces. It is famous for the Panama Canal, a man-made waterway that lets massive ships cross between two oceans without sailing all the way around South America. About four million people call Panama home, living in everything from towering capital-city skyscrapers to small villages deep in jungle river valleys.
From the Field Notebook
Harpy Eagle
The harpy eagle is Panama's national bird and one of the largest eagles on Earth, powerful enough to snatch a monkey or sloth right out of the rainforest canopy.
Strawberry Poison-Dart Frog
This tiny red frog, barely the size of a thumbnail, carries enough toxin in its skin to make predators very sorry they tried to eat it.
Geoffroy's Tamarin
This small monkey, with its striking black-and-white face, lives in the forests of Panama and is found almost nowhere else on the planet.
Sancocho
Sancocho is a slow-cooked chicken and root-vegetable stew seasoned with a herb called culantro, and most Panamanian families consider it the definitive comfort meal.
Patacones
Patacones are twice-fried slices of green plantain that come out crispy and golden, often served as a side dish or topped with meat and sauce.
Arroz con Pollo
Rice cooked together with chicken, vegetables, and saffron is so common at Panamanian celebrations and Sunday tables that many kids grow up thinking of it as the taste of home.
Panama is the only place on Earth where you can stand in one spot and watch the sun rise over the Pacific Ocean and set over the Atlantic — because the country curves in an unexpected direction.
The Panama Canal, which cuts through the middle of the country, allows ships to shave about 8,000 miles off their journey between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Panama City is the only capital city in the Americas that has a rainforest within its city limits — you can watch a sloth from inside the urban area.
Panama uses the US dollar as its currency, even though it has never been a US state — this has been true since 1904.
More than 1,000 bird species have been recorded in Panama, packed into a country roughly the size of South Carolina, making it one of the most bird-rich places on the planet.
Daily Life
80
Years life expectancy
96%
Can read and write
86%
Kids go to school
Missions Field Report
Panama is home to 26 distinct people groups — 2 of them haven’t yet heard about Jesus.
Most Panama's people follow Christianity (88.1%). Evangelical Christians make up about 21.7% of the population.
What People Believe
Unreached People Groups
These are communities of people who haven’t had the chance to hear about Jesus yet. They need missionaries — and they need kids like you to pray for them.
Jewish, Spanish-speaking
10,000 people
Deaf
9,500 people
Prayer Journal
Tick each one as you pray. God hears every word.