The

Darién

Gap

The Darién Gap is a 160 km long swath of undeveloped forest and wetlands in Panama's Darién Province in Central America. Darién Gap is located in Panamá and borders Colombia. This dense rainforest is home to the indigenous people Emberá and Wounaan.

The Youngest Geographical Landmass, Which Connects North & South America

UNESCO: “It contains many habitats: sandy beaches, rocky coasts, mangroves, freshwater marshes, palm forest swamps and lowland and upland moist tropical forest. Darién forests have been characterized by scientists as the most diverse ecosystems of tropical America and are still relatively undisturbed.

Biodiversity

Hotspot

With a fifth of its plants found nowhere else in the world, over 500 unique bird species, and several endangered animals, such as, the jaguar, the giant anteater, the harpy eagle, and the tapir, Darién is one of the most biologically rich places on earth. The dense impassable forests of Darién have remained relatively undisturbed and contain the most diverse and species-rich ecosystems in Central and South America.

Global

Forest

Watch

This map shows from 2001 to 2022 the total tree coverage loss of the Darién Gap. Explore the full map here.