Panama Tourism - Travel to Panama
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| Quick Facts | |
| Capital | Panama |
| Government | constitutional democracy |
| Currency | balboa (PAB); US dollar (USD) |
| Area | total: 78,200 sq km water: 2,210 sq km land: 75,990 sq km |
| Population | 2,882,329 (July 2002 est.) |
| Language | Spanish (official), English 14% note: many Panamanians bilingual |
| Religion | Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 15% |
Panama is a country in Central America with coastlines on both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, with Colombia to the southeast and Costa Rica to the northwest.
Panama is strategically location on the eastern end of isthmus that forms the land bridge connecting North and South America. It controls the Panama Canal that links North Atlantic Ocean via Caribbean Sea with North Pacific Ocean.
| Table of contents |
Regions in Panama
- Administrative divisions
- 9 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 territory* (comarca); Bocas del Toro, Chiriqui, Cocle, Colon, Darien, Herrera, Los Santos, Panama, San Blas*, and Veraguas
Map of Panama
Cities in Panama
- Panama - Capital
Ports and harbors
- Balboa
- Cristobal
- Coco Solo
- Manzanillo - (part of Colon area)
- Vacamonte
Other destinations - Travel to Panama
Understand Panama Tourism
Climate in Panama
Tropical maritime; hot, humid, cloudy; prolonged rainy season (May to January), short dry season (January to May)- Natural hazards
- occasional severe storms and forest fires in the Darien area.
Terrain
Interior mostly steep, rugged mountains and dissected, upland plains; coastal areas largely plains and rolling hills- Highest point
- Volcan de Chiriqui 3,475 m
History of Panama
- Independence
- 3 November 1903 (from Colombia; became independent from Spain 28 November 1821)
- National holiday
- Independence Day, 3 November (1903)
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.
- Constitution
- 11 October 1972; major reforms adopted 1978, 1983 and 1994
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.
Get into Panama
Travel to Panama By Plane
Travel to Panama By Train
Travel to Panama By car
Travel to Panama By Bus
Travel to Panama By Boat
Get around in Panama
Panama Talk
- Languages
- Spanish (official), English 14%
note: many Panamanians bilingual
Buy
Eat - Travel to Panama
Drink
Sleep - Panama Tourism
Learn
Work
Stay safe - Panama Tourism
Stay Healthy While You Travel to Panama
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Contact
External Links for Panama Tourism
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Geography in Panama
- Geographic coordinates
- 9 00 N, 80 00 W
- Area
- total: 78,200 sq km
water: 2,210 sq km
land: 75,990 sq km - Area - comparative
- slightly smaller than South Carolina
- Coastline
- 2,490 km
- Maritime claims
- contiguous zone: 24 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM - Natural resources
- copper, mahogany forests, shrimp, hydropower
- Land use
- arable land: 6.72%
permanent crops: 2.08%
other: 91.2% (1998 est.) - Irrigated land
- 320 sq km (1998 est.)
- 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; air pollution in urban areas; mining threatens natural resources
People in Panama
- Population
- 2,882,329 (July 2002 est.)
- Age structure
- 0-14 years: 29.6% (male 433,494; female 418,120)
15-64 years: 64.3% (male 939,550; female 914,646)
65 years and over: 6.1% (male 84,130; female 92,389) (2002 est.) - Population growth rate
- 1.26% (2002 est.)
- Birth rate
- 18.6 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
- Death rate
- 4.96 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
- Net migration rate
- -1.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
- Sex ratio
- at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2002 est.) - Infant mortality rate
- 19.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
- Life expectancy at birth
- total population: 75.89 years
female: 78.74 years (2002 est.)
male: 73.14 years - Total fertility rate
- 2.22 children born/woman (2002 est.)
- HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
- 1.54% (1999 est.)
- Nationality
- noun: Panamanian(s)
adjective: Panamanian - Ethnic groups
- mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 70%, Amerindian and mixed (West Indian) 14%, white 10%, Amerindian 6%
- Religions
- Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 15%
- Literacy
- definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 90.8%
male: 91.4%
female: 90.2% (1995 est.)
Government in Panama
- Country name
- conventional long form: Republic of Panama
conventional short form: Panama
local short form: Panama
local long form: Republica de Panama - Government type
- constitutional democracy
- Legal system
- based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Justice; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
- Suffrage
- 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
- 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
Economy in Panama
- 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, the global slowdown, and the withdrawal of US military forces held back economic growth in 2000-01. The government plans public works programs, tax reforms, and new regional trade agreements in order to stimulate growth.
- GDP - composition by sector
- agriculture: 7%
industry: 17%
services: 76% (2000 est.) - Population below poverty line
- 37% (1999 est.)
- Labor force
- 1.1 million
note: shortage of skilled labor, but an oversupply of unskilled labor (2000 est.) - Labor force - by occupation
- agriculture 21%, industry 18%, services 61% (1995 est.)
- Unemployment rate
- 13% (2000 est.)
- Industries
- construction, petroleum refining, brewing, cement and other construction materials, sugar milling
- Electricity - production
- 4.894 billion kWh (2000)
- Electricity - production by source
- fossil fuel: 29%
hydro: 69%
other: 1% (2000)
nuclear: 0% - Agriculture - products
- bananas, rice, corn, coffee, sugarcane, vegetables; livestock; shrimp
- Exports - commodities
- bananas, shrimp, sugar, coffee, clothing
- Imports - commodities
- capital goods, crude oil, foodstuffs, consumer goods, chemicals
- Currency
- balboa (PAB); US dollar (USD)
- Currency code
- PAB; USD
- Exchange rates
- balboas per US dollar - 1.000 (fixed rate)
- Fiscal year
- calendar year
Communications
- Telephones - main lines in use
- 396,000 (1997)
- Telephones - 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 - Radio broadcast stations
- AM 101, FM 134, shortwave 0 (1998)
- Radios
- 815,000 (1997)
- Television broadcast stations
- 38 (including repeaters) (1998)
- Televisions
- 510,000 (1997)
- Internet country code
- .pa
- Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
- 6 (2000)
- Internet users
- 45,000 (2000)
Transportation in Panama
- Railways
- total: 355 km
broad gauge: 76 km 1.524-m gauge
narrow gauge: 279 km 0.914-m gauge (2001) - Highways
- total: 11,592 km
paved: 4,079 km (including 30 km of expressways)
unpaved: 7,513 km (2000) - Waterways
- 882 km
note: 800 km navigable by shallow draft vessels; 82 km Panama Canal - Pipelines
- crude oil 130 km (2001)
- Airports
- 107 (2001)
- Airports - with paved runways
- total: 41
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 13
under 914 m: 21 (2002) - Airports - with unpaved runways
- total: 62
914 to 1,523 m: 12
under 914 m: 50 (2002)
Transnational Issues in Panama
- Disputes - international
- none
- Illicit drugs
- major cocaine transshipment point and primary money laundering center for narcotics revenue; money-laundering activity is especially heavy in the Colon Free Zone; offshore financial center; negligible signs of coca cultivation; monitoring of financial transactions is improving; official corruption remains a major problem
