Panama, Isthmus of

Narrow stretch of land that joins North and South America; length 768 km/477 mi, breadth 59-176 km/37-109 mi. Its eastern end separates the gulfs of Panama in the Pacific Ocean and Darien in the Atlantic Ocean. Most of the land is mountainous, sloping downwards towards the Pacific and Atlantic coasts.

On the northern border with Costa Rica are several volcanoes, the highest of which is Barú at 3,475 m/11,400 ft. Along much of the Caribbean coast is deep tropical forest. Along the Pacific coast, where the climate is drier, there are semi-deciduous trees and savannah areas. Much of the forest is being cut down on the Panama isthmus, causing changes to the weather patterns.