Zoneítas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Panama (Panamá,Colón), United States | |
| Languages | |
| English,Spanish | |
| Religion | |
| Protestantism,Roman Catholicism,Judaism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Americans,Panamanians |
Zonians (Spanish:Zoneítas, singular:zoneíta,zoniano) are people associated with thePanama Canal Zone, a political entity which existed between 1903 and the absorption of the Canal Zone into theRepublic of Panama 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 thecivilianAmerican 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.[1] A significant presence of American canal workers remained in the Canal region until its turnover in 1999.
Some Zonians consider themselves to bePanamanian andU.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.[2]
The Panama Canal Society holds a reunion for Zonians every year, usually inOrlando, Florida.