Colón, Panama
Colón | |
---|---|
Ciudad de Colón | |
UTC−5 (Eastern) | |
Area code | +507 |
Climate | Am |
Website |
Colón (Spanish pronunciation:
History
The city was founded in 1850 as the Atlantic terminal of the
Much of the city was destroyed in the
The 1914 boundary treaty made Colón an
Fort De Lesseps
From 1948 to 1989
In 1948, the southeastern corner of Manzanillo Island was designated as the
Politically instigated riots in the 1960s destroyed the city's municipal palace and signaled the start of the city's decline, which was further accelerated by the military dictatorships of Omar Torrijos and Manuel Noriega from 1968 to 1987.
Since late 2014
A massive restoration and reconstruction project, involving parks, avenues and historic buildings and monuments, began in late 2014[4] and uses the hashtags "#RenovaciónColón", "#CiudadDeColón", "#RenovationColon (Renovation of Colón)" and "#CityOfColon". The First Baptist Church of Colón, Panama, is one of the buildings whose renovation has been completed.[citation needed]
Climate
Like most of the Caribbean coast of Central America, Colón possesses an extremely wet tropical climate owing to the powerful, wet trade winds flowing onto high mountains throughout the year. Unlike most parts of this coast, however, February and March are sufficiently dry that Colón fits into the tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am) category rather than a tropical rainforest climate (Af) as found in most Caribbean coastal areas. Nonetheless, the June-to-December period, with an average monthly rainfall of around 415 mm or 16.3 in, is so wet that Colón rivals La Ceiba, Honduras as the wettest sizable city in Central America.
Climate data for Colón | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29 (84) |
29 (84) |
29 (85) |
30 (86) |
31 (87) |
30 (86) |
29 (85) |
29 (85) |
31 (87) |
30 (86) |
29 (84) |
29 (84) |
29 (85) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 24 (76) |
24 (76) |
24 (76) |
25 (77) |
24 (76) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
23 (74) |
23 (74) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 110 (4.3) |
51 (2.0) |
36 (1.4) |
94 (3.7) |
270 (10.8) |
370 (14.5) |
420 (16.5) |
420 (16.4) |
290 (11.5) |
470 (18.4) |
620 (24.4) |
320 (12.6) |
3,471 (136.5) |
Source: Weatherbase[5] |
Population
Colón's population in 1900 was 3,001. It grew significantly with the building of the Panama Canal, becoming 31,203 by 1920. In 2000, the population was around 204,000.
With the city's economic decline, many of its upper and middle-class residents left, reducing its ethnic diversity. European and American
, to former Canal Zone towns, and overseas.Today, sizable
Colón was home to some of the best-educated and most well-heeled Panamanian families of West Indian heritage, such as the Washingtons, the Drews, the Fords, the Moodys, the Robinsons, the Beebys, the Archibolds, the Edwards, the Crowns, the Hoys, the Warehams, the Abrahams, and the McKintoshs.[citation needed] From these families sprang the teachers, professors, doctors, lawyers, engineers, businessmen, and politicians that contributed to the city's prosperity.[citation needed] Most of them eventually left the city for the United States or the United Kingdom. Their influence may still be seen, however, in their descendants that remain in the province.
Colón was also home to Las Amigas de la Caridad ("Women of Charity"), a charitable organization of women of Caribbean descent. The organization met largely in the home of Gladys Booth Ford and her stepdaughter Ruby Ford Drew at Calle 7 and Avenida Sta. Isabel. Ruby Drew was a long-standing member of Christ Church by the Sea.
Culture
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Literature
The main setting of the novella "Latarnik" ("The Lighthouse Keeper", 1881) by Polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz is the lighthouse in Aspinwall.
Colón is also the setting of Argentine writer César Aira’s short 2002 novel Varamo.
Juan Gabriel Vásquez's The Secret History of Costaguana has many scenes set in late 19C and early 20C Colón.
Georges Simenon's L'Aîné des Ferchaux has Colon as a location in the second part of the novel.
Sports
Colón is home to
Transport
The city is served by the Panama Canal Railway and Enrique Adolfo Jiménez Airport.
People from Colón
Arts, sciences, politics, and military
- Kenneth B. Clark, psychologist, educator, testified in Brown v. Board of Education
- Pedro Heilbron, CEO of Copa Holdings
- Eric Jackson, publisher, journalist and talk show host
- George E. Pierce, U.S. Navy Rear Admiral and double Navy Cross recipient.[7]
- Juan Williams, political commentator on Fox News
- Billy Cobham, musician, songwriter, bandleader, educator.
- Carlos Bieberach, Salsa singer with Orquesta La Inmensidad since 1988. Lives in USA since 1982 and in Miami since 1983.
Athletes
- Baseball Hall of Fame, selected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team[8]
- Rennie Stennett, Major League Baseball second baseman for the 1979 World Series Champion Pittsburgh Pirates.
- World Bantamweight Champion between 1929 and 1934, induced in 1992 to International Boxing Hall of Fame
- George Headley (1909-1983), West Indies cricketer born in Colón; the only person from Panama to play Test cricket.[9]
- Miguel Iriarte, boxer, fought for the WBA world Bantamweight title in 1982
- World Featherweight Champion in 1965 and 1970, inducted in 1999 to World Boxing Hall of Fame and in 2001 to International Boxing Hall of Fame
- Ring Magazineworld Bantamweight champion
- Irving Saladino, athlete, long jump, 2007 World Champion and 2008 Olympic gold medalist, first gold medalist of the nation
- Manny Sanguillén, catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates
- Armando Dely Valdés, football player
- Jorge Dely Valdés, football player
- Julio Dely Valdés, football player
- IBF Super Bantamweight Champion2008–present
- Ben Oglivie, Major League Baseball player for the Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, and the Milwaukee Brewers
- Gary Forbes, National Basketball Association player, Small Forward for the Houston Rockets.
- Ruben Garces, College and Professional basketball player, Power Forward and center.
See also
References
- ^ "Colon City on Fire – 1940". YouTube.
- ISBN 9780872897625.
- ^ "Appendix ; Exhibit A : United States Presentation : Background and Chronology of the Events in Panama and the Canal Zone on the Ninth, Tenth, and Subsequent Days in January 1964 for the Committee Established Under the Resolution of the OAS/OC, February 6, 1964". National Board of the Young Men's Christian Associations v. United States ; On Writ of Certiorari to the United States Court of Claims. Records and Briefs of the United States Supreme Court. October 1968. pp. 70a–75a.
- ^ "Nota de Prensa CGR". Archived from the original on 2015-08-27. Retrieved 2015-08-25.
- ^ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Colon, Panama". Weatherbase. 2011. Retrieved on November 24, 2011.
- Dobbs, Michael (2008-05-20). "The Fact Checker: John McCain's Birthplace". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
- ^ "George Ellis Pierce". Military Times. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
- ^ "mlb.com: MLB All-Century Team". Retrieved 26 March 2011.
- ^ "George Headley". espncricinfo. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
Further reading
- Small, Charles S. (1982). Military Railroads on the Panama Canal Zone. Cos Cob, CT: Railroad Monographs. OCLC 9325326.
External links
- Official website
- Colón City Panama extensive site about Colón, Panama
- Map of Fort De Lesseps