Darién Gap

The Darién Gap is a roadless, densely forested region between Panama and Colombia that interrupts the Pan-American Highway. It includes tropical rainforest, wetlands, and Indigenous territories.

Pan-American Highway: A planned road network linking much of the Americas, interrupted between Panama and Colombia. The Darién Gap is the major break in this otherwise extensive highway route.
Panama–Colombia border: The international boundary separating Panama from Colombia. The gap spans this border, where geography and national jurisdictions meet.
Emberá people: An Indigenous people living in Panama and Colombia, with distinct languages and cultural traditions. Emberá communities live in and around the forests affected by development and migration.
Migration through the Darién Gap: The movement of migrants across the Darién Gap on journeys toward Central and North America. This dangerous route has become one of the region’s most visible contemporary uses.
Mesoamerican Biological Corridor: A regional initiative connecting habitats and supporting biodiversity across Central America and southern Mexico. The Darién’s forests form a major ecological connection at the corridor’s southern end.
Darién Province: A province in eastern Panama bordering Colombia and containing much of the Panamanian side of the Darién Gap. Its forests and settlements form the western approach to the gap.
Panama Canal: A canal across Panama that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans for maritime shipping. The highway route approaches the gap after crossing the isthmus shaped by the canal corridor.
Wounaan people: An Indigenous people of Panama and Colombia with communities in the Darién region. Wounaan territory and livelihoods are directly connected to the region’s forests and rivers.
Human smuggling: The unlawful facilitation of people’s movement across borders, often for payment. Smuggling networks exploit the dangers and remoteness of crossings through the gap.
Colombian–Panamanian migration route: A migration passage across the border region linking Colombia with Panama and Central America. Its hazards and remoteness shape the risks faced by people crossing the gap.

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