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The Darién Gap is a large swath of undeveloped swampland and forest separating Panama and Colombia. It measures just over 160 km (100 miles) long and about 50 km (30 miles) wide. It is not possible to cross from South America to Central America by land without passing through the Darién Gap. As roadbuilding through this area is prohibitively expensive and the environmental toll is steep, it is the missing link in a road connection through the American continents.
The Colombian side of the Darién Gap is dominated primarily by the river delta of the Río Atrato, which creates a flat marshland at least 80 km (50 miles) wide, half of this being swampland. The Panamanian side, in sharp contrast, is a mountainous rain forest, with terrain reaching from 60 m (200 ft MSL) in the valley floors to 1845 m (5900 ft MSL) at the tallest peaks (Cerro Tacarcuna).
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Pan-American Highway
The Pan-American Highway is a system of roads measuring about 26,000 km (16,000 miles) long that crosses through the entirety of North, Central, and South America, with the sole exception of the Darién Gap. Thus, the Darién Gap has historically been a sore spot for businesses looking to expand their markets. On the Colombian side, the highway terminates about 27 km (17 miles) west of Barranquillita, at Lomas Aisiadas (Casa 40) located at Template:Coor dm NW. On the Panamanian side, the road terminus is the town of Yaviza at Template:Coor dm. This marks a straight-line separation of about 100 km (62 statute miles). In between is marshland and forest.
For decades, efforts have been made to remedy this missing link in the Pan-American highway. Planning efforts began in 1971 with the help of U.S. funding, but was halted in 1974 after complaints by environmentalists. Another effort to build the road began in 1992 but a 1994 United Nations agency revealed that it would cause extensive environmental damage. There is evidence in favor of the argument that the Darién Gap has prevented the spread of diseased cattle into Central and North America, which have not seen foot and mouth disease since 1954, and at least since the 1970s this has been a substantial factor in preventing a road link through Darién Gap. Choco and Cuna Indians have also expressed concern that the road would bring about the erosion of their cultures.
A United States Department of Defense Joint Operations Graphic chart published in 1995, as well as Expedia World Maps, show a road under construction linking Yaviza via a western route along the Pacific Colombian coast. The author of this article was unable to determine whether this road is a real feature or not.
As of April 2004 there was no apparent active construction of a road beyond Yavisa, although some improvements to the road as far as Yaviza appered to be in progress.
People
The Darién Gap is home to the Choco and Cuna Indians. Travel is often by dugout canoe. On the Panamanian side, Yaviza is the main cultural center. It had a reported population of 1700 in 1980. Corn and bananas are a staple crop wherever land is developed.
Natural resources
Two major national parks exist in the Darién Gap: Darién National Park in Panama and Katios Park in Colombia. The Darién Gap forests had extensive cedrela and mahogany cover at one time, but many of these trees were removed by loggers.
The Darién National Park covers around 5,790 square kilometres of land and was established in 1980. It is the largest national park in Central America.
History
The Gap is frequented by Range Rovers and other vehicles that attempt transcontinental journeys. The first all-land motorcycle crossing was by Robert L. Webb in March 1975. The first all-land auto crossing was in 1984 by Loren Upton in a CJ-5 Jeep. One notable all-land foot crossing was by George Meegan in 1981 and documented in his 1988 biography The Longest Walk.
Politics
The entire Darién Gap is largely under the control of three Colombian rebel groups. These include the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), a right-wing paramilitary group headed by Carlos Castano; the National Liberation Army (ELN); and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The first two groups have a history of war against one another, while the latter two groups have gained a reputation for violence and anti-U.S. activity. The U.S. State Department reported that combined, the ELN and FARC have been responsible for 51 kidnappings and ten murders of American citizens. Kidnappings are common for political and financial gain. The AUC, by contrast, has helped Darien Gap travellers in isolated instances.
Among the political victims of the Darién Gap were three missionaries who disappeared from Pucuro on the Panamanian side in 1993. British travellers were kidnapped in Darién Gap in 2000 and held for nine months. In 2003, Robert Young Pelton, on assignment for National Geographic, and two teammates were detained by AUC rebels for one week in a highly publicized incident.