The Republic of Panama 



63 



ateiy following. This road has been 

 abandoned for many years, as has the 

 ancient road from Portobello to Panama. 

 The greater portion of the territory 

 of the Republic is of small elevation, 

 with many large marshes along the sea- 

 coast. Even the mountainous portions 

 east and southeast of the railroad, form- 

 ing the Darien country, are not high, 

 probably in no case exceeding an eleva- 

 tion of 2,800 feet. The arable land on 

 either side of the Isthmus is mostly 

 ground of low elevation. 



THE CLIMATE 



The climate of the Isthmus is thor- 

 oughly tropical in character, but it is 

 by no means entitled to the bad name 

 which is so frequently given to it. In 

 speaking of this climate, "all business and 

 social activity in the Republic of Panama 

 is so centered in the vicinity of the rail- 

 road line, which is also practically the 

 proposed canal route, that observations 

 as to climatic or other conditions apply 

 strictly to this vicinity, although they 

 are practically the same for other parts 

 of the Republic. 



At Panama the Isthmus is scarcely 

 more than forty miles wide. The prox- 

 imity of the two oceans necessarily af- 

 fects the climate in a marked manner. 

 The continental divide at this location 

 is low, rising to an elevation but little 

 more than three hundred feet above 

 mean sea level. Winds therefore blow 

 across the entire Isthmus almost unob- 

 structed. Under the tropical sun the 

 evaporation from the two oceans is 

 rapid, and the consequence is an atmos- 

 phere highly charged with aqueous 

 vapor at nearly all times. The high 

 temperature of the tropical climate is 

 therefore accentuated with great humid- 

 ity, which is enervating to a marked 

 degree to those who have been bred in 

 a temperate climate. 



The temperature at Colon, on the Car- 

 ibbean side of the Isthmus, not often 

 rises above 90 Fahr., although it occa- 



sionally reaches 98 ° or even a little 

 higher, as in December, 1885 (98°.2), 

 and January and March, 1886 (98°.2), 

 the latter year being an unusually 

 hot one. The mean of the maximum 

 monthly temperature that year was 95 °. 2 

 Fahr. The usual maximum monthly 

 temperature ranges from about 85 ° 

 Fahr. to about 91 ° or 92 ° Fahr. The 

 minimum monthly temperature usually 

 ranges from about 6o° Fahr. to about 

 75 Fahr., the mean minimum monthly 

 temperature being but little under 70 

 Fahr. The mean temperature through- 

 out the year is not far from 8o° Fahr. 

 The interior points of the Isthmus, such 

 as Gamboa and Obispo, about half way 

 across the Isthmus on the railroad line, 

 generally experience maximum temper- 

 atures perhaps two or three degrees 

 higher than at Colon, and minimum tem- 

 peratures perhaps three or four degrees 

 lower than at that point. On the Pa- 

 cific side the temperature may run a 

 degree or two higher than at Colon. 

 For all ordinary purposes it may be 

 stated that there is no sensible difference- 

 in temperature on the two sides of the 

 Isthmus, nor in other climatic conditions 

 except the rainfall, which differs sensi- 

 bly. On the high ground at Culebra,. 

 where the canal and railroad lines cut 

 the continental divide, and where the 

 elevation is from two hundred to three 

 hundred feet above sea level, the air is 

 cooler and dryer than at either sea- 

 coast. These figures show that the rul- 

 ing temperatures on the Isthmus are not 

 so high as those shown by the hottest 

 weather of a New York or Washington 

 summer; but the temperatures, such as 

 they are on the Isthmus, continue with- 

 out material abatement. 



The low latitude of the Isthmus of 

 Panama, the farthest point north lying 

 in latitude 9 , brings the sun at the 

 zenith twice during the year, once at 

 noon on April 13 on its journey north- 

 ward, and the second time at noon on 

 August 29 on its return southward 



