This book is a history of Panama from its discovery by Christopher Columbus in 1502 to the U.S. turning over the Panama Canal in December 1999. It discusses the various pirates who attacked and captured Panama City; the six Indian tribes who live in Panama today; the building of the Panama Canal from 1903 - 1914; the German U-Boat attacks off Panama during World War II; General Omar Torrijos; Colombian drug traffickers in Panama; the decline and fall of General Manuel Noriega; and the U.S. Invasion of 1989. It tells the story of the overthrow of President Arnulfo Arias in 1941, and in 1968; and reveals who assassinated President Jose Antonio Remon in 1955. The book goes into great detail about the Panama merchant marine fleet, which is the largest in the world. And it covers the five different Panama Canal treaties between the U.S. and Panama.