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Panama

try and much of the eastern half. The western half of Panama, remember, is high and mountainous. Although Panama’s neighbor, Costa Rica, is well known for the variety of its wildlife, Panama actually has a greater number of flora and fauna species and more land set aside for preservation. Panamanians like to remark that in Costa Rica, 20 tourists try to see one beautiful quetzal bird, but in Panama, one person can see 20 of them at once. Tropical Weather Located well within the tropics, Panama is refreshed by easterly trade winds . Tropical climates run throughout the country, except at higher eleva- tions west of the Canal Zone. Winters tend to be drier than summers. Rain varies, depending on location. Along the Pacific coastal plain and in the eastern interior valley, annual precipitation ranges between 55 and 126 inches (140 and 320 centimeters). There may be three to five months without rain. Lighter rainfall along the Pacific gives rise to more grasslands and scrubby, seasonally leafless forest cover.

Along the northern Caribbean shoreline and in the mountains, annual rainfall almost always exceeds 126 inches (320 centimeters) and may reach as much as 236 inches (600 centimeters). Rainless periods are uncommon and rarely last more than one or two months. Heavier

A Macaw sits patiently in a tree on Isla Grande, Panama. Like many other countries of Central America, Panama has a wide variety of bird and animal species, as well as many beautiful plants and trees.