Ancón, Panama

Ancón is a township in central Panama, northeast of the city of Balboa. Ancon Hill is also the name of a large hill that overlooks Panama City, and served as a form of protection from pirates, and sea invasion. The township was originally located around this hill, and was created to house employees of the Panama Canal during its construction. As part of the construction effort, the historic Gorgas Hospital was founded in this township and built on the slope of the hill. This township served as housing for employees of the Panama Canal Company until 1980 when parts of it began to be turned over to the country of Panama as a part of the 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaties. Modern Ancón is a suburb of Panama City, serving mainly as a residential, medical and research center, including the Gorgas Hospital for tropical diseases, and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute for research into tropical biology. In 2000, it had a preliminary population of 10,233.

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