A land of adventure and romance, tiny Panama (population: three million) is booming. And Canadians are rushing to get a piece of the action - as homeowners in paradise.

'The Switzerland of            
            Central America'

Though small in size and in population, Panama has emerged as perhaps the most dynamic nation in Central America. The only Latin American country that has never had a currency crisis, Panama is now a stable, growth-driven democracy. Its economy is booming, expanding at one of the fastest rates in the world (by 11.2 percent in 2006, by 7.8 percent in 2007). Often described as "the most foreignfriendly country in the world," Panama attracts people - by the thousands, from Europe, from North America, from South America - as visitors to its ocean beaches and as new residents in Panama City, a sophisticated and cosmopolitan town with a truly great skyline. No wonder. The Christian Science Monitor calls Panama "the Switzerland of Central America." Panama's prospects look world-class good. The doubling of the Panama Canal, a US $5 billion project, is underway. The Miami Herald reported in March that Panama registered 15,490 companies in the previous eight months, more than 60 a day. And the construction boom isn't limited to Panama City. People are moving into the mountains, too, for homes in a tropical paradise - including people from Canada now rushing to buy homes that will be tax-free for the next 20 years.