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 Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

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

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...

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

Republic of Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cost ...

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

civilian Civilians under international humanitarian law are "persons who are not members of the armed forces" and they are not "combatants if they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war". It is slightly different from a non-combatant, b ...

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, pe ...

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 ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

nian and

U.S. citizens Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constitut ...

, 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 the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

Notable Zonians

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...

, 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 former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a first baseman, second baseman and designated hitter from 1967 to 1985 for the Minnesota Twins ...

, professional baseball player *

Kenneth Bancroft Clark Kenneth Bancroft Clark (July 24, 1914 – May 1, 2005) and Mamie Phipps Clark (April 18, 1917 – August 11, 1983) were American psychologists who as a married team conducted research among children and were active in the Civil Rights Movement. T ...

, noted African-American psychologist *

John G. Claybourn John Geronald Claybourn (May 23, 1886 - June 26, 1967) was a civil engineer and Dredging Division Superintendent of the Isthmian Canal Commission. He was the original designer of Gamboa, Panama. During his career on the Panama Canal and after his ...

, 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 Fred Weldon Leslie is an American scientist who flew on the NASA STS-73 Space Shuttle mission as a payload specialist. Background Leslie was born on December 19, 1951, in Ancón, Panama. He is an instrument rated commercial pilot with more tha ...

, American astronaut *

Gustavo A. Mellander Gustavo "Gus" Adolfo Mellander is a leader in the field of university and college administration in the United States. He served as dean of academic affairs and interim chancellor at Inter American University of Puerto Rico, 1966–69,The San Jua ...

, 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 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 rephotographing of a photograph by Sam Abell and ...

, painter and photographer *

Charles S. Spencer Charles Sidney Spencer (born 12 June 1950) is an American curator, researcher, and anthropologist. He serves as the Curator of Mexican and Central American Archaeology in the Division of Anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History in Ne ...

, 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 and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. As both a solo act and member of two successful bands, Stills has com ...

, noted rock musician * Lou Sola, Commissioner,

Federal Maritime Commission The United States Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) is an independent federal agency based in Washington, D.C. that is responsible for the regulation of oceanborne international transportation of the U.S. It is chaired by Daniel B. Maffei. His ...

. *

Frederik Pohl Frederik George Pohl Jr. (; November 26, 1919 – September 2, 2013) was an American science-fiction writer, editor, and fan, with a career spanning nearly 75 years—from his first published work, the 1937 poem "Elegy to a Dead Satelli ...

, science fiction writer and editor *

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

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

, US Army soldier taken prisoner during the

Battle of Nasiriyah The Battle of Nasiriyah was fought between the US 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, aided by the British military, 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 ...

References

External links

Panama Canal Society
Panama Canal Zone * Ethnic groups in Panama Ethnic groups in the United States {{ethno-stub