It is a swampy and forested isthmus measuring about 160 by 50 kilometers, separating the Panamanian Darién Province from the northern part of Colombia’s Choco Department. The Gap theoretically allows land communication between the American continents.
The area is overgrown with dense rainforests and mangroves, It is very sparsely populated, inhabited mainly by the Kuna and Choco Indian tribes. There are two national parks in the isthmus area, Darién National Park in Panama and Los Katios National Natural Park in Colombia. Both parks are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
