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Panama Metropolis, usually known simply as Panama, is the country's capital and biggest city. It has an urban population of 880,691 people, with a metropolitan population of approximately 1.5 million people. The city is located in the Panamanian province of Panama, at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal. The city serves as the country's political and administrative capital, as well as a financial and commercial centre.

Panama was founded on August 15, 1519, by Spanish conqueror Pedro Arias Dávila. The city served as the starting point for expeditions that conquered Peru's Inca Empire. It was a stopover on one of the most significant commercial routes in the American continent, leading to the fairs of Nombre de Dios and Portobelo, through which flowed the majority of the gold and silver taken by Spain from the Americas.

The ancient city was destroyed by fire on January 28, 1671, when the privateer Henry Morgan plundered and set fire to it. Two years later, on 21 January 1673, the city was legally recreated on a peninsula 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the old town. The location of the previously devastated city is still in ruins and is now a famous tourist attraction, as well as a favorite destination for school field excursions.

Sites of International Importance

Panamá Viejo ("Old Panama") refers to the architectural remnants of the Monumental Historic Complex of the first Spanish city built on the Pacific coast of the Americas on 15 August 1519 by Pedro Arias de Avila. This city served as the base for the expeditions that defeated the Inca Empire in Peru in 1532. It was a stopover on one of the most significant trade routes in the history of the American continent, leading to the famed fairs of Nombre de Dios and Portobelo, where the majority of the gold and silver taken by Spain from the Americas went through.

The historic area of Panama City (known as Casco Viejo, Casco Antiguo, or San Felipe) was intended as a walled city to defend its residents against future pirate raids following the destruction of Panama Viejo by the privateer Henry Morgan in 1671. UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 2003.

Casco Antiguo has a variety of architectural styles that reflect the country's cultural diversity: Caribbean, Republican, art deco, French, and colonial architecture coexist on a complex that contains around 800 structures. The majority of Panama City's major landmarks, including the Salón Bolivar, the National Theater (established in 1908), Las Bóvedas, and Plaza de Francia, are located in Casco Antiguo. There are also several Catholic structures, including the Metropolitan Cathedral, La Merced Church, and St. Philip Neri Church. The unique golden altar of St. Joseph Church was one of the few artifacts rescued from the 1671 pirate siege of Panama Viejo. During the siege, it was covered in mud and then covertly transferred to its current site.

The historic neighborhood, which is undergoing reconstruction and gentrification, has become one of the city's primary tourist attractions, second only to the Panama Canal. Both the public and private sectors are striving to restore it. In 2014, President Ricardo Martinelli completed the "Cinta Costera 3" expansion to the Cinta Costera marine highway viaduct around the Casco Antiguo.

There were demonstrations prior to the construction of the Cinta Costera 3 project. Much of the debate over the project revolved around the prospect of Casco Viejo losing its World Heritage status. Casco Viejo was not included to the List of World Heritage Sites in Danger by UNESCO on June 28, 2012.