Colón, city, Panama, at the
Caribbean end of the Panama Canal. Colón, the second largest city in
Panama, was surrounded by, but not part of, the former Panama Canal Zone.
Colón is an important port, commercial center, and tourist
destination. It was made a free trade zone in 1953 and is the world's second
largest duty-free port (the principal tourist attraction). The city was
founded in 1850 by Americans working on the trans-Panama railroad and was
named Aspinwall until 1890. Built on a swampy island, the city was often
scourged by yellow fever until the sanitary work associated with the
construction of the canal was completed under W. C. Gorgas.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Panama Political Geography
