Darién, Panama.

Darién, geographic region of the easternmost Isthmus of Panama that extends into northwestern Colombia, is a hot, humid area typified by tropical rain forests, mangrove swamps, and low mountain ranges with cloud forest vegetation. Darién has always been scarcely populated and faces many pressures, including deforestation, the possible completion of the Pan-American Highway, the advancement of the agricultural and livestock production, mining, drug trafficking, the presence of armed groups, and migration. In 1983, the Emberá-Wounaan indigenous territory was also established in Darién. Many tribes living in Darién lack electricity and running water, but they can preserve their own language and traditions. Each family has more than 5 children and the  age of marriage is 18, according to traditions. They live on harvesting and rely on the forest to collect wood for the huts and medicinal plants. The only means of transportation are pirogues, along crocodile-infested rivers. The Darién National Park, created in 1980 with an area of 579 000 ha, was designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve.