The Darién Gap (UK: , US: , Spanish: Tapón del Darién [t̪a'põn ˈd̪el daˈɾjen], literally "Darién plug" ) is a break across the North and South American continents within Central America, consisting of a large watershed, forest and mountains in the northern portion of Colombia's Chocó Department and Panama's Darién Province.The Pan-American Highway also has a corresponding gap of 106 kilometres (66 mi) in length, beginning at Turbo, Colombia, and ending at Yaviza, Panama. Roadbuilding through this area is expensive, and the environmental cost is high. Political consensus in favor of road construction collapsed after an initial attempt failed in the early 1970s, and to date has not yet re-emerged.The geography of the Darién Gap on the Colombian side is dominated primarily by the river delta of the Atrato River, which creates a flat marshland at least 80 km (50 mi) wide. The Serranía del Baudó range extends along Colombia's Pacific coast and into Panama. The Panamanian side...
