The adjective Pan-American is used to describe what is linked to all American countries . It is important to keep in mind that the idea of Pan-American is not limited to North America , Central America or South America , but includes all regions of the continent.
America is the second continent on the planet in terms of surface area, only surpassed by Asia . Much of the Western Hemisphere, in fact, is occupied by America , which includes countries such as the United States , Mexico , Guatemala , Panama , Brazil and Argentina , among many others.
The idea of Pan-American refers to what encompasses, crosses or integrates the entire continent . Pan-Americanism , in this framework, is a movement that aims to promote ties between American states, addressing their common interests and problems.
In the Pan American Games , on the other hand, athletes from the continent participate. It is a multidisciplinary event similar to the Olympic Games , although limited to American competitors.
The first edition of the Pan American Games took place in 1951 in the city of Buenos Aires ( Argentina ). Up to and including 2015 , they were held seventeen times, with the United States leading the medal table thanks to 4,430 medals.
Five other countries managed to exceed 1,000 medals : Cuba (2,026), Canada (1,913), Brazil (1,207), Argentina (1,060) and Mexico (1,012).
Finally, the Pan-American Route , Pan-American Highway or simply Pan-American is a system of land roads that links a large number of American countries across more than 48,000 kilometers .
A exception de un pequeño tramo entre Colombia y Panama (más precisamente, la región del Darién), la Panamericana permite llegar en automóvil desde Buenos Aires (Argentina) hasta Alaska (USA). Dicho tramo se extiende a lo largo de 130 kilómetros aproximadamente.
The Pan-American Highway emerged in 1923, in the context of the V International Conference of American States. The first Congress was held two years later, and were followed by two more, in 1929 and 1939. Unlike colossal projects such as the Trans-Siberian Railway , a railway network linking the European part of Russia with countries such as Korea and China, This road is made up of many others, each one from its respective country and with different characteristics from the rest.
Some of the destinations covered by the Pan-American Highway are not officially included in the list; These are the cities of Quellón and Ushuaia, in Chile and Argentina, respectively. The reason why there is a part where it is cut is that right at the eastern end of Panama and northwestern Colombia is a harsh mountainous jungle, known as the Darién region or Darién Gap . The points where it is cut are Yaviza (in Panama) and Lomas Aisladas (in Colombia).
In other words, we can say that this project is not yet complete, despite having been in progress for almost a century. On the other hand, the construction of other roads is planned to connect the entire highway, although not exactly through the Darién region, since this would put the rainforest at risk. We must point out that this area , the so-called biogeographical Chocó , is a biosphere reserve .
In 1971, UNESCO ( United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ) began the Program on Man and the Biosphere , which has the goal of raising human awareness about the importance of natural resources, to use them sustainably . Part of his plans was to select places that represented the various habitats of the planet, both terrestrial and maritime, which he identified under the name biosphere reserves .