Panama is a narrow "S" shaped isthmus of land, a corridor between South and Central America, its job as a crossroads having shaped its history and destiny. The famous Canal fascinates many people, a feat of engineering which raises ships 26 metres while travelling the 67 km between the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea. As well as Panama City with its historic old town, a holiday in Panama offers the Caribbean archipelago of Bocas del Toro, the idyllic islands of San Blas and the verdant mountains of coffee and strawberry plantations around Boquete.