Darién Gap in the context of "Chocó Department"

The secession of Panama from Colombia was formalized on 3 November 1903, with the establishment of the Republic of Panama and the abolition of the Colombia-Costa Rica border. From the Independence of Panama from Spain in 1821, Panama had simultaneously declared independence from Spain and joined itself to the confederation of Gran Colombia through the Independence Act of Panama. Panama was always tenuously connected to the rest of the country to the south, owing to its remoteness from the government in Bogotá and lack of a practical overland connection to the rest of Gran Colombia. In 1840–41, a short-lived independent republic was established under Tomás de Herrera. After rejoining Colombia following a 13-month independence, it remained a province which saw frequent rebellious flare-ups, notably the Panama crisis of 1885, which saw the intervention of the United States Navy, and a reaction by the Chilean Navy.

During the construction of the Panama Canal, the initial attempts by France to construct a sea-level canal across the isthmus were secured through treaty with Colombia; however French cost overruns led to abandonment of the canal for a decade. During the intervening years, local separatists used the political instability of the Thousand Days' War to agitate for political secession from Colombia and establishment of an independent republic. When the United States sought to take over the canal project, the legislature of Colombia rejected the proposed treaty. With the collaboration of French lobbyist Philippe-Jean Bunau-Varilla and United States President Theodore Roosevelt, Panama declared independence from Colombia and negotiated a treaty granting the U.S. the right to construct the canal.

The Darien scheme was an unsuccessful attempt, backed largely by investors of the Kingdom of Scotland, to gain wealth and influence by establishing New Caledonia or Britain-in-Panama, a colony in the Darién Gap on the territory of present-day Panama, in the late 1690s. The plan was for the colony, located on the Gulf of Darién, to establish and manage an overland route to connect the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The backers knew that the first sighting of the Pacific Ocean by Vasco Núñez de Balboa was after crossing the isthmus through Darién. The expedition also claimed sovereignty over "Crab Isle" (modern day Vieques, Puerto Rico) in 1698, yet sovereignty was short-lived. The settlement attempt failed; more than 80 percent of participants died within a year, and the settlement was abandoned twice.

There are many potential explanations for the disaster, including poor planning and provisioning; divided leadership; a lack of trade with local indigenous tribes or neighbouring Dutch and English colonies; epidemics of tropical disease; widespread opposition to the scheme from commercial interests in England; and a failure to anticipate a military response from the Spanish Empire. The settlement was abandoned in March 1700 after a siege by Spanish forces that also blockaded the harbour.

The Gulf of Urabá is a gulf on the northern coast of Colombia. It is part of the Caribbean Sea. It is a long, wide inlet located on the coast of Colombia, close to the connection of the continent to the Isthmus of Panama. The town of Turbo, Colombia, lies at the mid eastern side naturally sheltered by the Turbo Bay part of the Gulf. The Atrato River flows into the Gulf of Urabá.

A study by Bio-Pacific has suggested, as an alternative to building a 54‑mile (87 km) link across the Darién Gap to complete the Pan-American Highway, that the Panama section of the highway be extended to the Caribbean coast and end at the Gulf of Urabá, then be connected by ferry to existing highways in Colombia.

Turbo is a port city in Antioquia Department, Colombia. Part of the Urabá Antioquia sub-region, it is located on the coast of Gulf of Urabá, 340 km north of Medellín (the department capital and second largest city). Serving as the capital of the Urabá region within Antioquia. Historically, the area now known as Turbo was once called Pisisi, but the name Turbo was in use by 1741. On May 11, 1839, the central government allocated one thousand pesos for the construction of military service barracks in Turbo. In 1840, the republican president assigned one thousand fanegas of uncultivated lands for the new population. Turbo was officially established as a municipality in 1847.

Turbo lies near the southeastern tip of the Darién Gap and is the northern terminus of the main route of the Pan-American Highway in South America. There is currently no paved road connecting through the region to Yaviza, Panama, where the highway continues through Central and North America.

Darién (UK: /ˈdɛəriən, ˈdær-/, US: /ˌdɛəriˈɛn, ˌdɑːr-, dɑːrˈjɛn/; Spanish: [daˈɾjen]) is a province in Panama whose capital city is La Palma. With an area of 11,896.5 km (4,593.3 sq mi), it is located at the eastern end of the country and bordered to the north by the province of Panamá and the region of Kuna Yala. To the south, it is bordered by the Pacific Ocean and Colombia. To the east, it borders Colombia; to the west, it borders the Pacific Ocean and the province of Panama.

The area surrounding the border with Colombia is known as the Darién Gap, a large swath of undeveloped swampland and forest. With no roads, it is the missing link of the Pan-American Highway.

San Sebastián de Urabá was the first settlement established by Spaniards in the area of the Darién Gap in Colombia.