Panama (/ˈpænəmɑː/ PAN-ə-mah; Spanish:Panamá [panaˈma]), officially called the Republic of Panama (Spanish:República de Panamá), is a country in Central America situated between North and South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The capital and largest city is Panama City, whose metropolitan area is home to nearly half of the country's 3.9 million people.