Panama - December 24th, 2011

Lake Bayano is a man-made lake in the eastern part of Panamá Province, Panama. It is visible near the center of this orthorectified wide-swath ASAR image. It was created when the Bayano River was dammed in 1976. The dam powers a hydroelectric plant that continues to supply Panama City and the surrounding provinces with electricity.

While the land around the lake appears flat, the terrain becomes mountainous closer to the coasts. The dominant feature of Panama’s landform is the central spine of mountains and hills that forms the continental divide. The divide does not form part of the great mountain chains of North America, and only near the Colombian border are there highlands related to the Andean system of South America. The spine that forms the divide is the highly eroded arch of an uplift from the sea bottom, in which peaks were formed by volcanic intrusions.

Tags: Cordillera Central Lake Bayano Panama |