Panama Location:
Physical. Panama is located in Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Colombia. It covers an area slightly smaller than South Carolina. The climate is tropical with a prolonged rainy season (May to January). The interior of the country is mostly steep, rugged mountains and dissected, upland plains. Coastal areas generally are plains and rolling hills. Natural resources include copper, mahogany forests, shrimp and hydropower.
Panama Geography:
Geography
Area: 30,185 square miles
Capital: Panama City (pop 465,000)
Environmental concerns: water and air pollution; deforestation; land degradation; soil erosion
Geographical features: interior mostly steep, rugged mountains and dissected upland plains; coastal areas largely plains and rolling hills
Climate: tropical marine
Panama People:
People. Over 3 million people live in Panama. They recognize Spanish as their official language while many Panamanians also speak English. Ethnically Panama is comprised of Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white 70%), Amerindian and mixed West Indian (14%), white (10%) and Amerindian (6%). The two main religious groups are Roman Catholic (85%) and Protestant (15%).
People: 3,000,463 people; Mestizo (70%); West Indian and Amerindian mixed (14%); white (10%); Amerindian (6%)
Annual growth rate: 1.34%
Major language: Spanish; English
Religions: Roman Catholic (85%); Protestant (15%)
Panama Government:
Government. In May 2004, Martin Torrijos was elected president with 47% of the vote. Although his political party was built by military strongmen including Noriega, he promised change as the defender of the poor. But Torrijos will likely embrace the reconstruction of the Panama Canal. The canal has been of continuing importance to the country since it opened in 1914. Full control was turned over to Panama in 1999, marking the end of US involvement and representing a source of Panamanian nationalism. The need for huge amounts of private investment for reconstruction of the canal will probably limit Torrijos’ populism.
To date Panama’s human rights record is mixed, especially as regards to freedom of the press. Women do not enjoy the same opportunities as men. Panamanian law does not recognize community property and divorced or deserted women can be left destitute.
Panama is a constitutional democracy that gained its independence from Colombia on November 3, 1903
President Martin Torrijos is both the head of state and government
10 major political parties
Suffrage: universal and compulsory at 18
Panama Communication:
Communication and transportation
366,000 main telephone lines (2002)
120,000 Internet users
6,893 miles of highway
208 miles of railroad
105 airfields
227,000 motor vehicles
Panama Economy:
Economy. The economy is still closely tied to drug money laundering. Although the Constitution authorizes the state to direct, regulate, replace or create economic activities designed to increase the nation’s wealth and to distribute the benefits to the greatest number of people, the income of one third of Panamanians fails to provide for a family’s basic needs. The extremes of wealth and poverty are great in Panama and corruption is pervasive.
Currency: balboa
Per capita income: $6,300
GDP: $ 18.62 billion
GDP growth rate: 3.24%
Inflation rate: 1.3%
Labor force: agriculture (20.8%); industry (18%); services (61.2%).
Panama More Information:
www.dmoz.org | 
