Zonians (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

: ''Zoneítas'', singular: ''zoneíta'', ''zoniano'') are people associated with the

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone (), also known as just the Canal Zone, was a International zone#Concessions, concession of the United States located in the Isthmus of Panama that existed from 1903 to 1979. It consisted of the Panama Canal and an area gene ...

, a political entity which existed between 1903 and the absorption of the Canal Zone into the

Republic of Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

between 1979 and 1999. Most were American expatriates loyal to the United States. They helped build and maintain the canal. Many Zonians are descendants of the

civilian A civilian is a person who is not a member of an armed force. It is war crime, illegal under the law of armed conflict to target civilians with military attacks, along with numerous other considerations for civilians during times of war. If a civi ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

workers who came to the area during the early 1900s to work and maintain the canal. Many of the Zonians were American citizens born in the Canal Zone or had spent their childhood there. A significant presence of American canal workers remained in the Canal region until its turnover in 1999.

National identity

Some Zonians consider themselves to be

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

nian and U.S. citizens, although quite a few say that they are only American or only Panamanian. This unique relation—physically near Panama yet citizens of the U.S.—makes Zonians a diasporic community, with members turning to online forums (such as the PANAMA-L listserv) to discuss and debate issues such as nationalism, belonging, and national identity. The Panama Canal Society holds a reunion for Zonians every year, usually in

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

Notable Zonians

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...

, senior United States senator from Arizona, was the Republican presidential nominee in the 2008 United States election. *

Rod Carew Rodney Cline Carew (born October 1, 1945) is a Panamanian-American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a second baseman, first baseman and designated hitter from 1967 to 1985 for the Minneso ...

, professional baseball player * John G. Claybourn, civil engineer, Dredging Division Superintendent, the original designer of

Gamboa, Panama Gamboa is a small town in corregimiento of Cristóbal in the Colón Province, Panama close to the Panama Canal and the Chagres River. It was one of a handful of permanent Canal Zone townships, built to house employees of the Panama Canal and ...

Karen Hughes Karen Parfitt Hughes (born December 27, 1956) is the global vice chair of the public relations firm Burson-Marsteller. She served as the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs in the U.S. Department of State and as a c ...

, former U.S. Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs * Frederick W. Leslie, American astronaut * Gustavo A. Mellander, Higher education: chancellor, president, and graduate school dean. Authored or co-authored 13 books and over 400 articles on higher education. *

Richard Prince Richard Prince (born August 6, 1949) is an American painter and photographer. In the mid-1970s, Prince made drawings and painterly collages that he has since disowned. His image ''Untitled (Cowboy)'', a photographic reproduction of a photograph ...

, painter and photographer * Charles S. Spencer, curator of Mexican and Central American Archaeology, American Museum of Natural History *

Stephen Stills Stephen Arthur Stills (born January 3, 1945) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Crosby, Stills & Nash; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; and Manassas (band ...

, noted rock musician * Lou Sola, Commissioner,

Federal Maritime Commission The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates U.S. oceanborne transportation and the United States Merchant Marine. It is chaired by Louis E. Sola. History The FMC was establish ...

. *

Frederik Pohl Frederik George Pohl Jr. (; November 26, 1919 – September 2, 2013) was an American list of science fiction authors, science-fiction writer, editor, and science fiction fandom, fan, with a career spanning nearly 75 years—from his first ...

, science fiction writer and editor *

Sage Steele Sage Marie Steele (born November 28, 1972) is an American television anchor who is the former co-host of the 12 noon (ET) ''SportsCenter'' on ESPN. She also hosted SportsCenter on the Road from various sporting events such as the Super Bowl and ...

, anchor ESPN * Edward A. Murphy, Jr., aerospace engineer, best known for the eponymous

Murphy's law Murphy's law is an adage or epigram that is typically stated as: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." Though similar statements and concepts have been made over the course of history, the law itself was coined by, and named after, Americ ...

* Leo Barker, NFL linebacker for Cincinnati Bengals, 1984–1991 *

Ernest "Red" Hallen Ernest “Red” Hallen (1875–1947) was an American photographer, noted for his 30 years of work as the official photographer of the Panama Canal. Life and work Hallen was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1875. After spending six years in Puerto ...

, official photographer of the Panama Canal. *

Shoshana Johnson Shoshana "Shana" Nyree Johnson (born January 18, 1973) is a Panamanian-born former United States soldier, and the first black female prisoner of war in the military history of the United States. Johnson was a Specialist of the U.S. Army 507th M ...

, US Army soldier taken prisoner during the

Battle of Nasiriyah The Battle of Nasiriyah was fought between the US 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade and Iraqi forces from 23 March to 2 April 2003 during the US-led invasion of Iraq. On the night of 24–25 March, the bulk of the Marines of Regimental Comb ...

References

{{Reflist

External links

Panama Canal Society
Panama Canal Zone Ethnic groups in Panama Ethnic groups in the United States