FAQ : Is Panama a typical Latin American country? What’s the Ethnic makeup?

Panama is not typical at all. Don’t expect to see mainly the typical mestizo (descendants of a combination of Spanish and Indian) population like in the rest of Latin America. There's saying that Panama was "born globalized." The population of 3.3million people has diverse origins: Spanish descendants, blacks (brought in from the Caribbean to build the Canal), indigenous cultures, and important immigrant populations from North America, Europe, China, India and Middle East.

Of special note and a a tourism attraction are the are seven living Indian cultures: Gunas in the Guna Yala Islands on the Caribbean, Embera and Wounaan in the province of Darien, Ngobe Bugle in the provinces of Chiriqui, Bocas del Toro & Veraguas; and Teribes & Bokotas in Bocas del Toro province.