Map of Panama | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: 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. On 7 September 1977 an agreement was signed for the complete transfer of the Canal from the US to Panama by the end of 1999. Certain portions of the Zone and increasing responsibility over the Canal were turned over in the intervening years. 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 turned over to Panama by or on 31 December 1999.


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Location: Middle America bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean between Colombia and Costa Rica

Geographic coordinates: 9 00 N 80 00 W

Map reference: Central America and the Caribbean

Area
Total: 78,200 km²
Land: 75,990 km²
Water: 2,210 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than South Carolina

Land boundaries
Total: 555 km
Border countries: (2) Colombia 225 km; , Costa Rica 330 km

Coastline: 2,490 km

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 24 NM
Exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Territorial sea: 12 NM

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: Pacific Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Volcan de Chiriqui 3,475 m

Natural resources: copper mahogany forests shrimp hydropower

Land use
Arable land: 7%
Permanent crops: 2%
Permanent pastures: 20%
Forests and woodland: 44%
Other: 27% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 320 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: NA

Geography
Note: strategic location on eastern end of isthmus forming land bridge connecting North and South America; controls Panama Canal that links North Atlantic Ocean via Caribbean Sea with North Pacific Ocean


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Population: 2,845,647 (July 2001 est.)
Growth rate: 1.3% (2001 est.)
Below poverty line: 37% (1999 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Panamanian
Adjective: Panamanian

Ethnic groups: mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 70% Amerindian and mixed (West Indian) 14% white 10% Amerindian 6%

Languages
Note: many Panamanians bilingual

Religions: Roman Catholic 85% Protestant 15%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 30.13% (male 436,661; female 420,625)
15-64 years: 63.86% (male 920,787; female 896,520)
65 years and over: 6.01% (male 81,682; female 89,372) (2001 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 1.3% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 19.06 births/1000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 4.95 deaths/1000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.1 migrant(s)/1000 population (2001 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
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
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.04 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male/female
65 years and over: 0.91 male/female
Total population: 1.02 male/female (2001 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 20.18 deaths/1000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 75.68 years
Male: 72.94 years
Female: 78.53 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.27 children born/woman (2001 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 1.54% (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: 24,000 (1999 est.)
Deaths: 1200 (1999 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 90.8%
Male: 91.4%
Female: 90.2% (1995 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Panama
Conventional short form: Panama
Local long form: Republica de Panama
Local short form: Panama

Government type: constitutional democracy

Capital: Panama

Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (provincias singular - provincia) and one territory* (comarca); Bocas del Toro Chiriqui Cocle Colon Darien Herrera Los Santos Panama San Blas* and Veraguas

Dependent areas

Independence: 3 November 1903 (from Colombia; became independent from Spain 28 November 1821)

National holiday: Independence Day 3 November (1903)

Constitution: 11 October 1972; major reforms adopted 1978 1983 and 1994

Legal system: based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Justice; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Mireya Elisa MOSCOSO Rodriguez (since 1 September 1999); First Vice President Arturo Ulises VALLARINO (since 1 September 1999); Second Vice President Dominador 'Kaiser' Baldonero BAZAN Jimenez (since 1 September 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Mireya Elisa MOSCOSO Rodriguez (since 1 September 1999); First Vice President Arturo Ulises VALLARINO (since 1 September 1999); Second Vice President Dominador 'Kaiser' Baldonero BAZAN Jimenez (since 1 September 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
Elections: president and vice presidents elected on the same ticket by popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 2 May 1999 (next to be held NA May 2004)
Election results: Mireya Elisa MOSCOSO Rodriguez elected president; percent of vote - Mireya Elisa MOSCOSO Rodriguez (PA) 44%, Martin TORRIJOS (PRD) 37%
Note: government coalition - PA, MOLIRENA, Democratic Change, MORENA, PLN, PS

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 2 May 1999 (next to be held NA May 2004)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PRD 34, PA 18, PDC 5, PS 4, MOLIRENA 3, PLN 3, Democratic Change 2, PRC 1, MORENA 1
Note: legislators from outlying rural districts are chosen on a plurality basis while districts located in more populous towns and cities elect multiple legislators by means of a proportion-based formula

Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (nine judges appointed for 10-year terms); five superior courts; three courts of appeal

Political parties and leaders: Arnulfista Party or PA [Mireya Elisa MOSCOSO Rodriguez]; Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Ruben AROSEMENA]; Civic Renewal Party or PRC [Serguei DE LA ROSA]; Democratic Change [Ricardo MARTINELLI]; Democratic Revolutionary Party or PRD [Martin TORRIJOS]; National Liberal Party or PLN [Raul ARANGO Gasteazopo]; National Renovation Movement or MORENA [Pedro VALLARINO Cox]; Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement or MOLIRENA [Ramon MORALES]; Solidarity Party or PS [Samuel LEWIS Galindo]

International organization participation: CCC ECLAC FAO G-77 IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICFTU ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Inmarsat Intelsat Interpol IOC IOM ISO ITU LAES LAIA (observer) NAM OAS OPANAL OPCW PCA RG UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WCL WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Alfredo BOYD
In the us chancery: 2,862 McGill Terrace NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 483-1407
In the us consulates general: Atlanta, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Tampa
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Simon FERRO
From the us embassy: Avenida Balboa and Calle 37, Apartado 6,959, Panama City 5
From the us mailing address: American Embassy Panama, Unit 0945, APO AA 34,002
From the us telephone: [507] 207-7,000
From the us fax: [507] 227-1964

Flag description: divided into four equal rectangles; the top quadrants are white (hoist side) with a blue five-pointed star in the center and plain red; the bottom quadrants are plain blue (hoist side) and white with a red five-pointed star in the center

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Panama's economy is based primarily on a well-developed services sector that accounts for three-fourths of GDP. Services include the Panama Canal banking the Colon Free Zone insurance container ports flagship registry and tourism. A slump in Colon Free Zone and agricultural exports high oil prices and the withdrawal of US military forces held back economic growth in 2000. The government plans public works programs tax reforms and new regional trade agreements in order to stimulate growth in 2001.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 2.5% (2000 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $6,000 (2000 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 7%
Industry: 16.5%
Services: 76.5% (1999 est.)

Agriculture products: bananas rice corn coffee sugarcane vegetables; livestock; shrimp

Industries: construction petroleum refining brewing cement and other construction materials sugar milling

Industrial production growth rate: 2% (2000 est.)

Labor force
Note: shortage of skilled labor, but an oversupply of unskilled labor
By occupation agriculture: 20.8%
By occupation industry: 18%
By occupation services: 61.2% (1995 est.)

Unemployment rate: 13% (2000 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 37% (1999 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 1.2%
Highest 10: 35.7% (1997)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $2.8 billion
Expenditures: $2.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $471 million (2000 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.8% (2000 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $5.7 billion (f.o.b. 2000 est.)
Commodities: bananas shrimp sugar coffee clothing
Partners: US 42% Germany 11% Costa Rica 5% Benelux 4% Italy 4% (1999)

Imports: $6.9 billion (f.o.b. 2000 est.)
Commodities: capital goods crude oil foodstuffs consumer goods chemicals
Partners: US 39% Colon Free Zone 14% Japan 8% Ecuador 6% Mexico 5% (1999)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $7.56 billion (2000 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: balboas per US dollar - 1.000 (fixed rate)


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Electricity
Production: 4.413 billion kWh (1999)
Production by source fossil fuel: 27.78%
Production by source hydro: 71.65%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0.57% (1999)
Consumption: 4.049 billion kWh (1999)
Exports: 95 million kWh (1999)
Imports: 40 million kWh (1999)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 396,000 (1997)
Mobile cellular: 17,000 (1997)

Telephone system
General assessment: domestic and international facilities well developed
Domestic: NA
International: 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to the Central American Microwave System

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .pa
Service providers isps: 6 (2000)
Users: 45,000 (2000)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $128 million (FY99)
Percent of gdp: 1.3% (FY99)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 107 (2000 est.)
With paved runways total: 42
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 5
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 13
With paved runways under 914 m: 22 (2000 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 65
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 13
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 52 (2000 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil 130 km (2001)

Railways
Total: 355 km
Broad gauge: 76 km 1.524-m gauge
Narrow gauge: 279 km 0.914-m gauge

Roadways

Waterways
Note: 800 km navigable by shallow draft vessels; 82 km Panama Canal

Merchant marine
Total: 4,711 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 111,515,984 GRT/169,655,363 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 1,381, cargo 925, chemical tanker 314, combination bulk 71, combination ore/oil 18, container 525, liquefied gas 193, livestock carrier 5, multi-functional large-load carrier 12, passenger 41, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 544, railcar carrier 2, refrigerated cargo 297, roll on/roll off 106, short-sea passenger 36, specialized tanker 29, vehicle carrier 208
Note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Argentina 11, Australia 1, Austria 1, Bermuda 21, Belgium 4, The Bahamas 7, Brazil 2, Canada 4, China 154, Chile 4, Cayman Islands 1, Colombia 6, Cuba 7, Cyprus 4, Denmark 12, Egypt 8, Ireland 2, Equatorial Guinea 1, Finland 1, France 4, Germany 17, Greece 248, Hong Kong 158, Honduras 2, Croatia 3, Indonesia 40, India 11, Iran 1, Israel 3, Italy 7, Japan 1,007, Jordan 2, South Korea 223, Latvia 4, Lithuania 1, Liberia 2, Monaco 43, Malta 1, Mexico 5, Malaysia 6, Netherlands 6, Norway 36, Netherlands Antilles 1, Peru 5, Pakistan 1, Portugal 5, Philippines 10, Russia 6, Saudi Arabia 6, Seychelles 2, South Africa 5, Singapore 73, Spain 35, Sweden 4, Syria 11, Switzerland 53, UAE 11, Thailand 15, Taiwan 170, UK 18, US 79, Venezuela 18, Samoa 1 (2000 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs