Panama, Gulf Of

Gulf of Panama, Spanish Golfo De Panamá, inlet of the Pacific Ocean, bordering the southern side of the Isthmus of Panama. It is 115 miles (185 km) across at its widest point and 100 miles (160 km) long. The gulf is relatively shallow and separates the mountain ranges of western Panama from the beginning of the Colombian Serranía de Baudó. Its western part is indented as Parita Bay, its northern as the Bay of Panama, and its eastern as San Miguel Gulf. The Pearl Islands, which have important fisheries, are in the gulf, and Panama City is the main urban centre on the gulf shore.