What connects South America from North America?

South and North America are connected by a narrow natural bridge called the Isthmus of Panama. The minimum width of the isthmus is less than 50 kilometers. These two continents were connected not in such a distant geological past – about 3 million years ago. For the most part, the isthmus is of volcanic origin. After the formation of the Isthmus of Panama, many species of animals and plants penetrated from South America to North America and vice versa. For the convenience of maritime navigation, the Panama Canal of the same name was dug at the site of the isthmus.