Panama

According to the Yearbood of Jehovah's Witnesses, 1977 page 242:

• "The Kingdom work in Panama started about the turn of the century. In the late 1890's an agent of the American Bible Society brought some of the Watch Tower Society's publications into the country and began to distribute them. Soon others became interested in the Kingdom message and began to talk about it. Isaiah Richards, a schoolteacher in the city of Colón, organized a class (or "ecclesia," as it was called) and presided at the weekly Bible studies. That was about the year 1900."

The first Branch office was established in Panama, under Roy W. Harvey in 1946.

The first European to explore the coasts in the region was the Spanish explorer Rodrigo de Bastidas, who in 1501 founded Panama's first port, calling it "El Escribano". One year later, Christopher Columbus explored the coast of Panama more thoroughly during his fourth voyage. During the 16th century, the region was conquered by Spain and turned into an important centre of trade for the Spanish monopoly. In 1717 the area became part of the Viceroyalty of New Granada. In 1821 Panama declared its independence from Spain, first voluntarily becoming part of Greater Colombia and then later part of the Republic of Colombia.

Discontent with Colombian rule led to several rebellions during the 19th century, given Panama's diminishing role as a trade route between two oceans and its decreasing geopolitical importance. On 3 November 1903, Panama declared its independence as a result of the fact that the Colombian Parliament had not ratified a treaty with the USA concerning the canal. It was officially recognized as a sovereign state by the USA three days later. In 1904, a constituent assembly drafted the first Panamanian constitution; the year 1914 marked the opening of the Panama Canal. Arnulfo Arias, who was elected president in 1940, was removed from office in 1941 as he was in favour of the Axis powers. Panama entered World War II in 1942 on the side of the Allies. General Omar Torrijos became President in 1969, which was to be the beginning of diplomatic struggle at all international levels to regain unlimited control over the Panama Canal. The Torrijos-Carter Treaty was signed in 1977, which provided for the canal to be handed over to Panama in 2000. Noriega came into power in 1983, annulled the presidential elections of April 1989 and prevented an attempted military coup in October that year.

Two months later, however, the United States sent 24,000 soldiers to Panama and appointed President Guillermo Endara, the man who had in fact won the April 1989 elections. Noriega was imprisoned and sent to the US in January 1990, where he was indicted in Miami, Florida in April 1992. The Endara government, however, was faced with serious economic problems, but gradually managed to recover. In 1994 Ernesto Pérez Balladares, candidate of the rightist Democratic Revolutionary Party, won the presidential elections. Mireya Moscoso, widow of former president Arnulfo Aria, succeeded him. In the 2004 presidential elections, Martín Erasto Torrijos Espino, a candidate of the same party, was elected.

No. It won't even fit under the bridges, is well over 150 feet longer than the lock, and over 40 feet wider.

This will allow the transit of vessels with a beam of up to 49 meters (160 ft), an overall length of up to 366 meters (1,200 ft) and a draft of up to 15 meters (50 ft)