NO. 5 MAMMALS OF PANAMA — GOLDMAN 19 



PHYSIOGRAPHY 



The Republic of Panama extends in a sigmoid curve from east to 

 west between the meridians of ~J° 15' and 83° 30' west from Green- 

 wich and parallels 7 10' to 9°-4o' of north latitude. It varies in 

 width from less than 50 miles at the Canal Zone and at the constric- 

 tion between the mouth of the Rio Chepo and the Bay of San Bias 

 to over 100 miles at the Azuero Peninsula. The most northern 

 points, the small islands and curved coast line about 30 miles north- 

 east of Colon and the disputed territory adjoining Costa Rica north- 

 west of Almirante Bay are in about the same latitude. Except for 

 the Chiriqui Lagoon the northern coast line forms a nearly undented 

 S-shaped curve. The southern coast line, on the contrary, is very 

 irregular. There are numerous inlets or bays, and several peninsulas 

 form prominent salient features. The bays are mainly small, but the 

 Gulf and Bay of Panama together occupy a deep concavity in the 

 eastern section. The smaller bays are mainly the tidal estuaries of 

 the numerous rivers, some of which are of large size. The estuary 

 of the Rio Tuyra permits small steamers to ascend to Real de Santa 

 Maria, about half the distance from the outer shore line across to 

 the Atlantic coast. East of the Gulf of Panama the territory claimed 

 by the republic includes the coast line south to near the mouth of the 

 Rio Jurado in about the same latitude as the southern end of the 

 Azuero Peninsula, which in broadly extended outline bounds the 

 Gulf on the west. Another prominent feature of the southern coast 

 is the narrow Burica Peninsula, a prolongation of the Serrania de 

 Carones near the Panama-Costa Rican boundary. The largest 

 outlying land area is Coiba Island, off the southwestern coast. 

 Immediately south of it is the much smaller island of Jicaron. 

 Numerous small islands lie close to the adjacent coast, of which some 

 of the more important are Cebaco and Leones islands in Montijo 

 Bay, and farther west Insolita, Espartal, Brava, Parida and Sevilla 

 islands. The second largest island is San Miguel, or Rey Island, in 

 the Bay of Panama, which with smaller neighboring islands forms 

 an archipelago known as the Pearl Islands. These islands are rather 

 low, but rugged in contour, with eroding coast lines like those of 

 parts of the adjacent mainland. Taboga Island, a few miles off the 

 Pacific terminus of the Panama Canal, is a health resort utilized dur- 

 ing the French as well as American canal construction. Small 

 islands are numerous along the northern coast, but aside from the 

 low, forested archipelago separating the sea from Almirante Bay 

 and the Chiriqui Lagoon, are relatively unimportant. 



