Colón, Panama

Colon is a Caribbean seaport city in Panama, near the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal, capital of Colon Province and historically known as Panama's second city, with a population of about 78,000 in the city proper as of 2016 and a metropolitan area of 241,817. It was founded in 1850 as the Atlantic terminal of the Panama Railroad to serve traffic from the California Gold Rush, and its position at the canal's Caribbean entrance made it economically vital, though its importance shifted after the canal's later expansion and changes in shipping patterns. The city fell into decline after political unrest in the 1960s and military rule from 1968 to 1987, but a major urban renovation effort begun in late 2014 has worked to restore its historic buildings and infrastructure, alongside the Colon Free Trade Zone, established in 1948.