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.
Location:
Middle America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North
Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica
occasional severe storms and forest fires in the Darien area
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
Environment - 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, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
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
total: 25.6 years male: 25.4 years
female: 25.9 years (2002)
Population growth rate:
1.36% (2003 est.)
Birth rate:
20.78 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Death rate:
6.25 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years:
1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female total
population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 21.44 deaths/1,000 live births female:
19.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) male: 23.59
deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.32 years male: 69.97
years female: 74.79 years (2003 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.53 children born/woman (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.5% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
25,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,900 (2001 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%
Languages:
Spanish (official), English 14% note: many
Panamanians bilingual
Literacy:
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population:
92.6% male: 93.2% female: 91.9% (2003 est.)
conventional long form: Republic of Panama
conventional short form: Panama local short
form: Panama local long form: Republica de Panama
Government type:
constitutional democracy
Capital:
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
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
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) note: government
coalition - PA, MOLIRENA, Democratic Change, MORENA, PLN, PS
election results: Mireya Elisa MOSCOSO Rodriguez elected
president; percent of vote - Mireya Elisa MOSCOSO Rodriguez (PA)
44%, Martin TORRIJOS (PRD) 37%
Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa (71
seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
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 elections: last
held 2 May 1999 (next to be held NA May 2004)
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]; 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];
Popular Party or PP (formerly Christian Democratic Party or PDC)
[Ruben AROSEMENA]; Solidarity Party or PS [Samuel LEWIS Galindo]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Chamber of Commerce; National Civic Crusade; National Council of
Organized Workers or CONATO; National Union of Construction and
Similar Workers (SUNTRACS); National Council of Private Enterprise
or CONEP; Panamanian Association of Business Executives or APEDE;
Panamanian Industrialists Society or SIP; Workers Confederation of
the Republic of Panama or CTRP
chief
of mission: Ambassador Roberto ALFARO FAX: [1] (202)
483-8416 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Houston, Miami,
New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto
Rico), Tampa telephone: [1] (202) 483-1407
chancery: 2862 McGill Terrace NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Linda Ellen WATT
embassy: Avenida Balboa and Calle 37, Apartado Postal
6959, Panama City 5 mailing address: American Embassy
Panama, Unit 0945, APO AA 34002 telephone: [507] 207-7000
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
Panama's economy is based primarily on a well-developed services
sector that accounts for three-fourths of GDP. Services include
operating 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
2000-02. The government has been backing public works programs, tax
reforms, new regional trade agreements, and development of tourism
in order to stimulate growth.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $17.3 billion (2002 est.)
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
total: 355 km broad gauge: 76 km 1.524-m gauge
narrow gauge: 279 km 0.914-m gauge (2002)
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)
Ports and harbors:
Balboa, Cristobal, Coco Solo, Manzanillo (part of Colon area),
Vacamonte
Merchant marine:
total: 4,860 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 122,543,755
GRT/184,910,607 DWT ships by type: barge carrier 5, bulk
1,443, cargo 846, chemical tanker 376, combination bulk 72,
combination ore/oil 17, container 588, liquefied gas 207, livestock
carrier 6, multi-functional large-load carrier 12, passenger 38,
passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 537, railcar carrier 2,
refrigerated cargo 287, roll on/roll off 107, short-sea passenger
41, specialized tanker 33, vehicle carrier 240 note:
includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of
convenience: Albania 2, Angola 1, Antigua and Barbuda 1, Argentina
11, Australia 13, Austria 2, The Bahamas 5, Belgium 2, Belize 6,
Brazil 6, British Virgin Islands 8, Cambodia 1, Canada 9, Chile 12,
China 259, Colombia 14, Croatia 2, Cuba 20, Cyprus 3, Denmark 3,
Dominican Republic 1, Ecuador 3, Egypt 16, Equatorial Guinea 1,
France 9, Germany 72, Greece 523, Haiti 1, Honduras 3, Hong Kong
299, Iceland 1, India 18, Indonesia 48, Ireland 1, Israel 5, Italy
9, Japan 1,642, Kenya 1, Kuwait 2, Latvia 8, Liberia 5, Lithuania 1,
Malaysia 18, Malta 2, Marshall Islands 1, Mexico 8, Monaco 112,
Netherlands 19, Netherlands Antilles 1, Nigeria 3, Norway 98,
Paraguay 1, Peru 15, Philippines 49, Poland 5, Portugal 7, Puerto
Rico 2, Romania 7, Russia 12, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint Vincent
and the Grenadines 5, Saudi Arabia 4, Seychelles 1, Singapore 112,
South Africa 3, South Korea 342, Spain 52, Sri Lanka 3, Sudan 1,
Sweden 2, Switzerland 81, Taiwan 334, Thailand 14, Trinidad and
Tobago 1, Tunisia 1, Turkey 4, Ukraine 1, UAE 54, UK 73, US 115,
Venezuela 6 (2002 est.)
Airports:
103 (2002)
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)
an amendment to the Constitution abolished the armed forces, but
there are security forces (Panamanian Public Forces or PPF includes
the Panamanian National Police, National Maritime Service, and
National Air Service)
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 797,456 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military
service:
males age 15-49: 544,967 (2003 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$128 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.3% (FY99)
Military - note:
on 10 February 1990, the government of then President ENDARA
abolished Panama's military and reformed the security apparatus by
creating the Panamanian Public Forces; in October 1994, Panama's
Legislative Assembly approved a constitutional amendment prohibiting
the creation of a standing military force, but allowing the
temporary establishment of special police units to counter acts of
"external aggression"
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
921/03 - Geography
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