Balboa | |
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  Balboa | |
| Coordinates: 8°57′N79°34′W / 8.950°N 79.567°W | |
| Country |  Panama |
Balboa is a district of Panama City, located at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal. It was the former capital of the Panama Canal Zone under American administration.
The town of Balboa, founded by the United States during the construction of the Panama Canal, was named after Vasco Núñez de Balboa, the Spanish conquistador credited with discovering the Pacific Ocean. The name was suggested to the Panama Canal Zone authorities by the Peruvian ambassador to Panama. Prior to being drained, filled, and leveled by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the hilly area north of Panama City was home to a few subsistence ranches and unused marshlands.
The town of Balboa, like most towns in the Canal Zone, was served by the Canal Zone Government–operated schools, post office, police and fire stations, commissary, cafeteria, movie theater, service center, bowling alley, and other recreational facilities and company stores. There were several schools in the area, including Balboa Elementary School, Balboa High School, and the private St. Mary's School. The town was also home to two private banks, a credit union, a Jewish Welfare Board, several Christian denomination churches, civic clubs (such as the Elks Club and the Knights of Columbus), a Masonic Lodge, a YMCA, several historic monuments, and a miniature Statue of Liberty donated by the Boy Scouts of America.
Until 1979, when the Canal Zone as a solely US territory was abolished under the terms of the Panama Canal Treaties, the town of Balboa was the administrative center of the Canal Zone, and remained so until midday on December 31, 1999, by which time, according to the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, the Panama Canal and all its assets and territories were fully returned to the Panamanian government.
The Panama Canal Administration Building, the former seat of the Canal Zone Government and Panama Canal Company, is located in Balboa Heights and continues to perform its duties as the main administration building for the agency that runs the Panama Canal — previously the Panama Canal Commission, now the Panama Canal Authority. The building has large murals painted by William B. Van Ingen depicting the construction of the canal.
A United States Navy very-low-frequency transmitting station (callsign NBA) near Balboa began service around 1915. It transmitted orders to submerged submarines.
Balboa is the Pacific-side port of the Panama Canal. The port has a dry dock in Panamax size (even the gates have a construction similar to that of the locks of the Panama canal). In 2012, Balboa was ranked the busiest container port in Latin America. [1]
Balboa has a multimodal (ship-to-train) terminal, called the Pacific Terminal, connected to Colón by the Panama Canal Railway. This allows transportation of containers by train across the isthmus. The railway also runs a passenger service between Panama City and Colón, once a day, each way.
| Climate data for Balboa, 9 m asl (1961–1990 normals) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 34.4 (93.9) | 35.0 (95.0) | 35.6 (96.1) | 36.1 (97.0) | 36.1 (97.0) | 34.4 (93.9) | 35.0 (95.0) | 35.0 (95.0) | 34.4 (93.9) | 33.9 (93.0) | 35.0 (95.0) | 34.4 (93.9) | 36.1 (97.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 31.4 (88.5) | 32.1 (89.8) | 32.6 (90.7) | 32.2 (90.0) | 30.8 (87.4) | 30.2 (86.4) | 30.6 (87.1) | 30.1 (86.2) | 29.8 (85.6) | 29.4 (84.9) | 29.4 (84.9) | 30.3 (86.5) | 30.7 (87.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 27.5 (81.5) | 27.8 (82.0) | 28.3 (82.9) | 28.2 (82.8) | 27.6 (81.7) | 27.2 (81.0) | 27.4 (81.3) | 27.2 (81.0) | 26.8 (80.2) | 26.5 (79.7) | 26.5 (79.7) | 26.8 (80.2) | 27.3 (81.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 23.5 (74.3) | 23.4 (74.1) | 23.9 (75.0) | 24.1 (75.4) | 24.4 (75.9) | 24.1 (75.4) | 24.2 (75.6) | 24.2 (75.6) | 23.8 (74.8) | 23.5 (74.3) | 23.6 (74.5) | 23.3 (73.9) | 23.8 (74.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 18.3 (64.9) | 19.4 (66.9) | 18.9 (66.0) | 20.0 (68.0) | 21.1 (70.0) | 21.1 (70.0) | 21.1 (70.0) | 21.1 (70.0) | 21.1 (70.0) | 21.1 (70.0) | 20.6 (69.1) | 19.4 (66.9) | 18.3 (64.9) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 23.8 (0.94) | 25.5 (1.00) | 1.5 (0.06) | 98.6 (3.88) | 241.4 (9.50) | 221.4 (8.72) | 195.9 (7.71) | 199.2 (7.84) | 203.4 (8.01) | 268.1 (10.56) | 300.1 (11.81) | 132.3 (5.21) | 1,911.2 (75.24) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) | 3.29 | 2.58 | 0.29 | 7.00 | 14.43 | 15.57 | 16.29 | 14.71 | 15.29 | 17.57 | 19.57 | 11.86 | 138.45 |
| Source 1: Météo climat stats [2] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Météo Climat [3] | |||||||||||||
Formerly a part of the Canal Zone, Balboa is now part of Panama City's township of Ancón. Since its incorporation into the Republic of Panama, part of Balboa has been developed to enhance the port's capacity and to adapt to private ownership of residences (previously owned by the U.S. Government/Canal Zone Government/Panama Canal Company, and rented to employees thereof) and some small companies and restaurants. The rapid growth of the West-side population of Panama's province has resulted in increased car traffic because one of the only two ways available to cross towards the west side of the country is the Bridge of the Americas, which is an issue being solved by the construction of new streets. Demographic changes resulting from the departure of most of the American population (because of Torrijos-Carter Treaties) brought the closure of related facilities and institutions, such as Balboa High School and some English-language churches, obviously because they were mostly available for Americans.
Sightseeing highlights for anyone visiting Balboa today[ when? ] include the Administration Building, Mi Pueblito Afroantillano, scenic overlook of Ancon Hill (from which a set of locks of the Canal can be seen), monument Homenaje a la Democracia, the Goethals Memorial, the Prado, two handicraft markets, three bed-and-breakfast hotels, and a country store and café near the Administration Building.
The population as of the 1990 census was 1,214.
Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the south. Its capital and largest city is Panama City, whose metropolitan area is home to nearly half the country's over 4 million inhabitants.
The history of Panama includes the history of the Isthmus of Panama prior to European colonization.
The Panama Canal is an artificial 82-kilometre (51-mile) waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean, cutting across the Isthmus of Panama, and is a conduit for maritime trade. Locks at each end lift ships up to Gatun Lake, an artificial fresh water lake 26 meters (85 ft) above sea level, created by damming up the Chagres River and Lake Alajuela to reduce the amount of excavation work required for the canal. Locks then lower the ships at the other end. An average of 200,000,000 L (52,000,000 US gal) of fresh water is used in a single passing of a ship. The canal is threatened by low water levels during droughts.
Panama City, also known as Panama, is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has a total population of 1,086,990, with over 2,100,000 in its urban area. The city is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province of Panama. The city is the political and administrative center of the country, as well as a hub for banking and commerce.
The Panama Canal Zone, also simply known as the Canal Zone, was a concession of the United States located in the Isthmus of Panama that existed from 1903 to 1979. It consisted of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending five miles (8 km) on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón. Its capital was Balboa.
The Panama Canal Railway is a railway line linking the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean in Central America. The route stretches 47.6 miles (76.6 km) across the Isthmus of Panama from Colón (Atlantic) to Balboa. Because of the difficult physical conditions of the route and state of technology, the construction was renowned as an international engineering achievement, one that cost US$8 million and the lives of an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 workers. Opened in 1855, the railway preceded the Panama Canal by half a century; the railway was vital in assisting the construction of the canal in the early 1900s. With the opening of the canal, the railroad's route was changed as a result of the creation of Gatun Lake, which flooded part of the original route. Following World War II, the railroad's importance declined and much of it fell into a state of neglect until 1998, when a project to rebuild the railroad to haul intermodal traffic began; the new railroad opened in 2001.
Manuel Amador Guerrero, was the first president of Panama from 20 February 1904 to 1 October 1908. He was a member of the Conservative Party.
Coco Solo was a United States Navy submarine base and naval air station near the Panama Canal, active from 1918 to the 1960s.
The idea of the Panama Canal dates back to 1513, when Vasco Núñez de Balboa first crossed the Isthmus of Panama. This narrow land bridge between North and South America was a fine location to dig a water passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The earliest European colonists recognized this, and several proposals for the construction of a canal were made.
Ancón is a corregimiento in Panamá District, Panamá Province, Panama with a population of 29,761 as of 2010. Its population as of 1990 was 11,518; its population as of 2000 was 11,169. It is sometimes considered a suburb or small town within Panama City, northeast of the limits of the town of Balboa. Ancon Hill is also the name of a large hill that overlooks Panama City and once served as a form of protection from pirates and sea invasion. The township was originally located around this hill, and was created to house employees of the Panama Canal during its construction. As part of the construction effort, the historic Gorgas Army Hospital was founded and built on the hillside. The first ship to officially transit the canal, SS Ancon, was named after the district. The community continued to serve as housing for employees of the Panama Canal Company until 1980, when parts of it began to be turned over to the Panamanian government under the 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaties. Modern-day Ancón is a corregimiento of Panama City, serving mainly as a residential area. The Gorgas Army Hospital building is now the Panamanian Oncology Hospital, primarily used for cancer research. The area also houses Panama's Supreme Court, just a few feet away from the Gorgas Army Hospital building, and several Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute buildings for research into tropical biology. Ancón is also a parish (parroquia) of the District of Panama, located in the Panama Canal adjacent area.
Martyrs' Day is a Panamanian day of national mourning which commemorates the January 9, 1964 anti-American riots over sovereignty of the Panama Canal Zone. The riot started after a Panamanian flag was torn and students were killed during a conflict with Canal Zone Police officers and Canal Zone residents. It is also known as the Flag Incident or Flag Protests.
Gorgas Hospital was a U.S. Army hospital in Panama City, Panama, named for Army Surgeon General William C. Gorgas (1854–1920).
The Panama Canal expansion project, also called the Third Set of Locks Project, doubled the capacity of the Panama Canal by adding a new traffic lane, enabling more ships to transit the waterway, and increasing the width and depth of the lanes and locks, allowing larger ships to pass. The new ships, called New Panamax, are about one and a half times the previous Panamax size and can carry over twice as much cargo. The expanded canal began commercial operation on 26 June 2016.
Gamboa is a small town in corregimiento of Cristóbal in the Colón Province, Panama close to the Panama Canal and the Chagres River. It was one of a handful of permanent Canal Zone townships, built to house employees of the Panama Canal and their dependents. The name Gamboa is the name of a tree of the quince family.
Balboa Heights was more or less part of the Panama Canal township of Balboa, existing on its edge, towards Ancón, and partly on the lower slopes of Ancon Hill. It was not really a proper township in terms of having anything beyond residential neighborhoods, but had its own map page in the Canal Zone telephone book. The 1914 Panama Canal Administration Building opened on Balboa Heights which overlooks the port. The Administration Building as extensive Canal art displays.
Fort Clayton was a United States Army base in the former Panama Canal Zone, later part of the Republic of Panama.
Cristóbal is a port town and corregimiento in Colón District, Colón Province, Panama. The corregimiento has a population of 49,422 as of 2010. The town is located on the western edge of Manzanillo Island, on the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal. Cristóbal Colón is the Spanish translation for Christopher Columbus, the Genovese explorer for whom these places were named.
Balboa High School was a public high school in the former Canal Zone on the isthmus of Panama. It was a part of the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA).
The following is an alphabetical list of topics related to the Republic of Panamá.
Naval Base Panama Canal Zone refers to a number of United States Navy bases used during World War II to both protect the Panama Canal and the key shipping lanes around the Panama Canal Zone. Bases were built and operated on the Atlantic Ocean side and the Pacific Ocean side. The main Naval Base at the Panama Canal was the Naval Station Coco Solo that had been in operation since 1918.
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