* βeta
Panama
Background :
Explored and settled by the Spanish in the 16th century, Panama broke with Spain in 1821 and joined a union of Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela - named the Republic of Gran Colombia. When the latter dissolved in 1830, Panama remained part of Colombia. With US backing, Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903 and promptly signed a treaty with the US allowing for the construction of a canal and US sovereignty over a strip of land on either side of the structure (the Panama Canal Zone). The Panama Canal was built by the US Army Corps of Engineers between 1904 and 1914. In 1977, an agreement was signed for the complete transfer of the Canal from the US to Panama by the end of the century. Certain portions of the Zone and increasing responsibility over the Canal were turned over in the subsequent decades. With US help, dictator Manuel NORIEGA was deposed in 1989. The entire Panama Canal, the area supporting the Canal, and remaining US military bases were transferred to Panama by the end of 1999. In October 2006, Panamanians approved an ambitious plan to expand the Canal. The project, which began in 2007 and could double the Canal's capacity, is expected to be completed in 2014-15.
Location :
Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica
Geographic Coordinates Center :
9 00 N, 80 00 W (Latitude, Longtitude)
Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :
| West | -83.05 |
| North | 9.64 |
| East | -77.17 |
| South | 7.20 |
Map references :
America
Area :
| total | 75 420 | square km |
| land | 74 340 | square km |
| water | 1 080 | square km |
Land boundaries :
| total | 555 | km |
| Colombia (co) | 225 | km |
| Costa Rica (cr) | 330 | km |
Coastline :
2490.00 km
Climate :
tropical maritime; hot, humid, cloudy; prolonged rainy season (May to January), short dry season (January to May)
Terrain :
interior mostly steep, rugged mountains and dissected, upland plains; coastal areas largely plains and rolling hills
Elevation extremes :
| lowest point | 0 | metres |
| highest point | 3 475 | metres |
Natural resources :
| copper | hydropower |
| mahogany forests | shrimp |
Land use :
| arable land | 7.26 | % |
| permanent crops | 1.95 | % |
| other | 90.79 | % |
Irrigated land :
430 square km
Total renewable water resources :
148 cubic km
Natural hazards :
| torms |
current issues :
water pollution from agricultural runoff threatens fishery resources; deforestation of tropical rain forest; land degradation and soil erosion threatens siltation of Panama Canal; air pollution in urban areas; mining threatens natural resources
international agreements :
| Biodiversity | Climate Change |
| Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol | Desertification |
| Endangered Species | Environmental Modification |
| Hazardous Wastes | Law of the Sea |
| Marine Dumping | Marine Life Conservation |
| Ozone Layer Protection | Ship Pollution |
| Tropical Timber 83 | Tropical Timber 94 |
| Wetlands | Whaling |
Population :
3 360 474
Indicators :
| Growth rate | 1.50 | % |
| Birth rate | 20.18 | births/1,000 population |
| Total fertility rate | 2.53 | children born/woman |
| Death rate | 4.66 | deaths/1,000 population |
| Net migration rate | -0.49 | migrant(s)/1,000 population |
Age structure :
| 0-14 years | 29.30 | % |
| 15-64 years | 63.90 | % |
| 65 years and over | 6.80 | % |
Median age :
| total | 27.00 | years |
| male | 26.60 | years |
| female | 27.30 | years |
Sex ratio :
| at birth | 1.04 | male(s)/female |
| under 15 years | 1.04 | male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 1.02 | male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.87 | male(s)/female |
| total population | 1.02 | male(s)/female |
Health :
| Infant mortality rate | 12.67 | deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth - total population | 77.25 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - male | 74.47 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - female | 80.16 | years |
| HIV-AIDS adult prevalence rate | 1.00 | % |
| HIV-AIDS people living with HIV-AIDS | 20 000 | |
| HIV-AIDS deaths | 1 000 |
Religions :
| Roman Catholic | 85.00 | % |
| Protestant | 15.00 | % |
Languages :
| Spanish | ||
| English | 14.00 | % |
| Panamanians bilingual |
Literacy :
| total population | 91.90 | % |
| male | 92.50 | % |
| female | 91.20 | % |
Country name :
| conventional long form | Republic of Panama |
| conventional short form | Panama |
| local long form | Republica de Panama |
| local short form | Panama |
Country Codes :
| ISO 3166 | PA |
| ISO Numeric | 591 |
| ISO3 | PAN |
| FIPS | PM |
| ccTLD | pa |
| English | Panama |
Administrative divisions :
11 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 territory* (comarca); Bocas del Toro, Comarca Kuna Yala, Comarca Ngobe-Bugle, Chiriqui, Cocle, Colon, Darien, Herrera, Los Santos, Panama, San Blas* (Kuna Yala), and Veraguas
Capital :
| name | Panama City |
| geographic coordinates | 8 58 N, 79 32 W |
| time difference | -5.00 |
International organization participation :
| BCIE | CACM |
| CAN (observer) | CSN (observer) |
| FAO | G-77 |
| IADB | IAEA |
| IBRD | ICAO |
| ICC | ICCt |
| ICRM | IDA |
| IFAD | IFC |
| IFRCS | ILO |
| IMF | IMO |
| IMSO | IOC |
| IOM | IPU |
| ISO | ITSO |
| ITU | ITUC |
| Interpol | LAES |
| LAIA (observer) | MIGA |
| NAM | OAS |
| OPANAL | OPCW |
| PCA | RG |
| SICA | UN |
| UNASUR (observer) | UNCTAD |
| UNESCO | UNIDO |
| UNWTO | UPU |
| Union Latina | WCO |
| WFTU | WHO |
| WIPO | WMO |
| WTO |
Independence :
1903-11-03
National holiday :
Independence Day
1903-11-03
Executive branch :
| President Ricardo MARTINELLI Berrocal |
GDP - Gross Domestic product :
| PPP - Purchasing Power Parity | 40 330 000 000 | $ |
| Official Exchange Rate | 24 750 000 000 | |
| RGR - Real Growth rate | 2.40 | % |
| PPP - per capita | 11 900 | $ |
GDP Composition by sector :
| agriculture | 6.30 | % |
| industry | 18.20 | % |
| services | 75.50 | % |
Labor force - by occupation :
| agriculture | 15.00 | % |
| industry | 18.00 | % |
| services | 67.00 | % |
Other Indicators :
| Labor force | 1 423 000 | people |
| Unemployment rate | 7.10 | % |
| Population below poverty line | 28.60 | % |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 56.10 | |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.60 | % |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 26.70 | % of GDP |
| Current account balance | - 1 655 000 000 | $ |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 1 803 000 000 | $ |
| Debt external | 12 040 000 000 | $ |
| Market value of publicly traded shares | 6 568 000 000 | $ |
| Military expenditures | 1.00 | % of GDP |
| Public debt | 49.50 | % of GDP |
Household income or consumption by percentage share :
| lowest 10% | 0.80 | % |
| highest 10% | 41.40 | % |
Budget :
| revenues | 5 667 000 000 | $ |
| expenditures | 6 527 000 000 | $ |
Agriculture - products :
| bananas | coffee |
| corn | livestock |
| rice | shrimp |
| sugarcane | vegetables |
Industries :
| brewing | cement and other construction materials |
| construction | sugar milling |
Energy :
| Electricity Production | 6 322 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Consumption | 5 170 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Exports | 124 900 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Imports | 8 740 000 | kWh |
| Oil Consumption | 94 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Exports | 4 803 | bbl/day |
| Oil Imports | 87 100 | bbl/day |
Value :
11 410 000 000 $
Partners :
| United States (us) | 39.20 | % |
| Netherlands (nl) | 10.70 | % |
| Costa Rica (cr) | 5.80 | % |
| Sweden (se) | 5.40 | % |
| United Kingdom (gb) | 5.40 | % |
| Spain (es) | 5.00 | % |
| Tawian | 4.30 | % |
| China (cn) | 4.10 | % |
Commodities :
| bananas | clothing |
| coffee | shrimp |
| sugar |
Value :
13 620 000 000 $
Partners :
| United States (us) | 29.60 | % |
| Costa Rica (cr) | 5.00 | % |
| China (cn) | 5.00 | % |
| Japan (jp) | 4.20 | % |
Commodities :
| capital products | chemicals |
| consumer products | foodstuffs |
Currency-code :
PAB
Currency-name :
balboa
Communications :
| Telephons Main lines in use | 495 800 | |
| Telephons Mobile, Cellular | 3 805 000 | |
| FM Radio broadcast stations | 134 | |
| Television broadcast stations | 38 | |
| Internet Country code (ccTLD) | pa | |
| Internet Hosts | 8 067 | |
| Internet Users | 934 500 |
Transportation :
| Airports with paved runways | 54 | |
| Heliports | 3 | |
| Roadways - total | 11 978 | km |
| Roadways - paved | 4 300 | km |
| Roadways - unpaved | 7 678 | km |
| Railways | 76 | km |
| Waterways | 800 | km |
Flag
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