What makes Panama so important?

Travel Info
While Panama is a small nation with few natural resources that would interest highly industrialized nations, it is strategically important to the United States and other world powers. What makes Panama so important?

Travel Tips

There is a shorter way to go to Asia from the U.S. called the Panama Canal.
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Are you kidding?? It is the shortest route for ships from our west coast to the east coast. Otherwise, they would have to go all the way down around the tip of Africa.
Panama can keep a specific country's ships from passing through the Panama Canal. If that happened it would impact trade and tourism for the banned country. Goods would cost more, which would impact the economy. Small place, but a lot of power.
Probably Teddy Roosevelt's most valuable contribution to the world! The Panama Canal!
It's the Panama Canal, it is much cheaper. Why don't you think many people use airplanes as use of transporting cargo? Too expensive. Panama is a natural geographical position that has contributed commercially before, example, for the Spanish in colonial times as means of transporting goods like silk, gold, etc. from Atlantic to Pacific. Reason why many pirate attacks. Now in modern times, it's still, in its own way, the same, the transportation is cheaper and better internationally.
Educate yourself on Panama: http://www.learnpanama.co.nr
Panama has always been a world wide hub & it still is.From the free trade zone in Colon to the 150 international banks in PC.The Spanish brought the gold through Panama from South America & the modern day version of this is still going on in the form of banking & import/export.Location, location, location!