Colón, Panama facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Colón
City
Ciudad de Colón
Top to bottom, left to right: Aerial view of Colón, November 5 Park located at the Historic District of Colón, Colón Free Trade Zone, Statue of Christopher Columbus, and the Inmaculate Conception Cathedral.
Flag Coat of arms
Colón Location in Panama
Country	Panama
Province	Colón Province
District	Colón District
Elevation	9 m (30 ft)
Population  (2016)
• City	78,000
• Metro	241,817
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
Area code(s)	+507
Climate	Am
Website	MunicipioColón.gob.pa Renovation Colón

Colón is an important city and seaport in Panama. It sits right next to the Caribbean Sea, close to where ships enter the Panama Canal from the Atlantic Ocean. Colón is the capital city of Panama's Colón Province. It's often called Panama's second most important city.

The city was first built on an island called Manzanillo Island. This island was surrounded by different bays and a river. Later, the city grew to include areas that used to be part of the Panama Canal Zone. These areas include former U.S. Army bases and towns like Cristobal and Margarita.

History of Colón

Colón was founded in 1850. It was built as the Atlantic end of the Panama Canal Railway. This railway was being built because many people wanted a fast way to get to California during the California Gold Rush.

For some years, Americans living there called the town Aspinwall. This was after William Henry Aspinwall, who helped build the Panama Railroad. But the local people called it Colón, honoring Christopher Columbus. The city was built on a swampy island. To build permanent buildings, the island was connected to the mainland by a road, and parts of it were drained.

The city faced tough times with big fires. Much of Colón was destroyed in 1885 during a civil war. Another large fire happened in 1915. In 1940, a huge fire destroyed one-third of the city.

Colón and the Canal Zone

In 1914, a treaty made Colón an area of Panama completely surrounded by the Panama Canal Zone. This meant it was like an island of Panamanian land within the Canal Zone.

Later, in 1936, the United States gave Panama a strip of land called the "Colón Corridor." This strip was just wide enough for a road. It connected Colón to the main part of Panama. Sometimes, the U.S. military would set up checkpoints on this road. This made some Panamanians unhappy and led to protests.

Colón's Growth and Changes

In 1948, a special area called the Colón Free Trade Zone was created. This zone helps businesses trade goods without paying certain taxes. It has grown a lot since then.

In the 1960s, there were riots that damaged the city's main government building. This marked the start of a difficult period for Colón. The city's economy and look declined over the next few decades.

Modern Renovation Efforts

Since late 2014, a huge project has been underway to fix up Colón. This project is called "#RenovaciónColón" or "Renovation of Colón." It involves restoring parks, streets, and old buildings. Many historic places, like the First Baptist Church of Colón, have already been renovated. This project aims to bring new life back to the city.

Climate in Colón

Colón has a very wet tropical climate. This is because of strong, wet winds that blow from the Caribbean Sea towards tall mountains all year.

Even though it's very wet, February and March are a bit drier. This means Colón has a tropical monsoon climate. The period from June to December is especially rainy. During these months, Colón gets a lot of rain, making it one of the wettest cities in Central America.

Population of Colón

In 1900, Colón had about 3,000 people. Its population grew a lot when the Panama Canal was being built. By 1920, it had over 31,000 residents. In 2000, the population was around 204,000.

As the city faced economic challenges, many wealthier residents moved away. This changed the mix of people living in Colón. Today, many people in Colón have West Indian or mixed heritage. There are also notable communities of people from South Asia and Arab countries.

Sports in Colón

Colón is home to the Correcaminos Colon basketball team. They were the Basketball Champion of Panama in 2016. The team plays its games at the Arena Teófilo "Panamá" Al Brown.

Transportation in Colón

The city is served by the Panama Canal Railway. It also has an airport called Enrique Adolfo Jiménez Airport.

Famous People from Colón

Many talented people, especially athletes, come from Colón:

• Rod Carew: A famous Major League Baseball player. He is in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
• Rennie Stennett: A baseball player who won the World Series with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
• Alfonso "Panama" Al Brown: A boxer and the first Hispanic World Champion.
• George Headley: A famous West Indies cricketer.
• Miguel Iriarte: A boxer.
• Ismael Laguna: A boxer and World Featherweight Champion.
• Jorge Lujan: A boxer and world Bantamweight champion.
• Irving Saladino: An athlete who won an Olympic gold medal in the long jump in 2008. He was Panama's first gold medalist!
• Manny Sanguillén: A catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team.
• Armando Dely Valdés: A football (soccer) player.
• Jorge Dely Valdés: A football (soccer) player.
• Julio Dely Valdés: A football (soccer) player.
• Celestino Caballero: A boxer and Super Bantamweight Champion.
• Ben Oglivie: A Major League Baseball player.
• Gary Forbes: A National Basketball Association (NBA) player.
• Ruben Garces: A college and professional basketball player.

Images for kids

• 

  A 1932 map showing Colón's location near the Canal Zone.

A street scene in Colón between 1910 and 1920.

A view of the "Renovation of Colón" project.

See also

In Spanish: Colón (Panamá) para niños