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. An ambitious expansion project to more than double the Canal's capacity - by allowing for more Canal transits and larger ships - was carried out between 2007 and 2016.
Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica
9 00 N, 80 00 W
Central America and the Caribbean
total: 75,420 sq km
land: 74,340 sq km
water: 1,080 sq km
slightly smaller than South Carolina
total: 687 km
border countries (2): Colombia 339 km, Costa Rica 348 km
2,490 km
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm or edge of continental margin
tropical maritime; hot, humid, cloudy; prolonged rainy season (May to January), short dry season (January to May)
interior mostly steep, rugged mountains with dissected, upland plains; coastal plains with rolling hills
mean elevation: 360 m
elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Volcan Baru 3,475 m
copper, mahogany forests, shrimp, hydropower
agricultural land: 30.5%
arable land 7.3%; permanent crops 2.5%; permanent pasture 20.7%
forest: 43.6%
other: 25.9% (2011 est.)
321 sq km (2012)
occasional severe storms and forest fires in the Darien area
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
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
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
3,705,246 (July 2016 est.)
noun: Panamanian(s)
adjective: Panamanian
mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 65%, Native American 12.3% (Ngabe 7.6%, Kuna 2.4%, Embera 0.9%, Bugle 0.8%, other 0.4%, unspecified 0.2%), black or African descent 9.2%, mulatto 6.8%, white 6.7% (2010 est.)
Spanish (official), indigenous languages (including Ngabere (or Guaymi), Buglere, Kuna, Embera, Wounaan, Naso (or Teribe), and Bri Bri), Panamanian English Creole (similar to Jamaican English Creole; a mixture of English and Spanish with elements of Ngabere; also known as Guari Guari and Colon Creole), English, Chinese (Yue and Hakka), Arabic, French Creole, other (Yiddish, Hebrew, Korean, Japanese)
note: many Panamanians are bilingual
Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 15%
Panama is a country of demographic and economic contrasts. It is in the midst of a demographic transition, characterized by steadily declining rates of fertility, mortality, and population growth, but disparities persist based on wealth, geography, and ethnicity. Panama has one of the fastest growing economies in Latin America and dedicates substantial funding to social programs, yet poverty and inequality remain prevalent. The indigenous population accounts for a growing share of Panama's poor and extreme poor, while the non-indigenous rural poor have been more successful at rising out of poverty through rural-to-urban labor migration. The government's large expenditures on untargeted, indirect subsidies for water, electricity, and fuel have been ineffective, but its conditional cash transfer program has shown some promise in helping to decrease extreme poverty among the indigenous population.
Panama has expanded access to education and clean water, but the availability of sanitation and, to a lesser extent, electricity remains poor. The increase in secondary schooling - led by female enrollment - is spreading to rural and indigenous areas, which probably will help to alleviate poverty if educational quality and the availability of skilled jobs improve. Inadequate access to sanitation contributes to a high incidence of diarrhea in Panama's children, which is one of the main causes of Panama's elevated chronic malnutrition rate, especially among indigenous communities.
8% of GDP (2014)
0-14 years: 26.7% (male 504,990/female 484,338)
15-24 years: 17.11% (male 323,034/female 311,099)
25-54 years: 40.31% (male 756,400/female 737,205)
55-64 years: 7.72% (male 141,582/female 144,414)
65 years and over: 8.16% (male 138,922/female 163,262) (2016 est.)
total dependency ratio: 53.4%
youth dependency ratio: 41.7%
elderly dependency ratio: 11.7%
potential support ratio: 8.5% (2015 est.)
total: 28.9 years
male: 28.5 years
female: 29.3 years (2016 est.)
1.3% (2016 est.)
18.1 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)
4.9 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)
-0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)
population is concentrated towards the center of the country, particularly around the Canal, but a sizeable segment of the populace also lives in the far west around David; the eastern third of the country is sparsely inhabited
urban population: 66.6% of total population (2015)
rate of urbanization: 2.07% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
PANAMA CITY (capital) 1.673 million (2015)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2016 est.)
total number: 59,294
percentage: 7%
note: data represent children ages 5-17 (2010 est.)
94 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)
total: 10.1 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 10.9 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 9.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.)
total population: 78.6 years
male: 75.8 years
female: 81.6 years (2016 est.)
2.33 children born/woman (2016 est.)
52.2% (2009)
1.65 physicians/1,000 population (2013)
2.2 beds/1,000 population (2011)
improved:
urban: 97.7% of population
rural: 86.6% of population
total: 94.7% of population
unimproved:
urban: 2.3% of population
rural: 11.4% of population
total: 5.3% of population (2015 est.)
improved:
urban: 83.5% of population
rural: 58% of population
total: 75% of population
unimproved:
urban: 16.5% of population
rural: 42% of population
total: 25% of population (2015 est.)
0.69% (2015 est.)
17,100 (2015 est.)
500 (2015 est.)
degree of risk: intermediate
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea
vectorborne disease: dengue fever
note: active local transmission of Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitoes has been identified in this country (as of August 2016); it poses an important risk (a large number of cases possible) among US citizens if bitten by an infective mosquito; other less common ways to get Zika are through sex, via blood transfusion, or during pregnancy, in which the pregnant woman passes Zika virus to her fetus (2016)
26.5% (2014)
3.9% (2008)
3.3% of GDP (2011)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95%
male: 95.7%
female: 94.4% (2015 est.)
total: 13 years
male: 12 years
female: 13 years (2013)
total: 12.6%
male: 11.2%
female: 14.9% (2014 est.)
conventional long form: Republic of Panama
conventional short form: Panama
local long form: Republica de Panama
local short form: Panama
etymology: according to tradition, the name derives from a former indigenous fishing village and its nearby beach that were called "Panama" meaning "an abundance of fish"
presidential republic
name: Panama City
geographic coordinates: 8 58 N, 79 32 W
time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
10 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 3 indigenous territories* (comarcas); Bocas del Toro, Chiriqui, Cocle, Colon, Darien, Embera-Wounaan*, Herrera, Kuna Yala*, Los Santos, Ngobe-Bugle*, Panama, Panama Oeste, Veraguas
3 November 1903 (from Colombia; became independent from Spain on 28 November 1821)
Independence Day, 3 November (1903)
several previous; latest effective 11 October 1972; amended several times, last in 2004 (2016)
civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Justice
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
citizenship by birth: yes
citizenship by descent: yes
dual citizenship recognized: no
residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years
18 years of age; universal
chief of state: President Juan Carlos VARELA (since 1 July 2014); Vice President Isabel de SAINT MALO de Alvarado (since 1 July 2014); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Juan Carlos VARELA (since 1 July 2014); Vice President Isabel de SAINT MALO de Alvarado (since 1 July 2014)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections/appointments: president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by simple majority popular vote for a 5-year term (president eligible for a single non-consecutive term); election last held on 4 May 2014; next to be held in 2019)
election results: Juan Carlos VARELA elected president; percent of vote - Juan Carlos VARELA (PP) 39.1%, Jose Domingo ARIAS (CD) 31.4%, Juan Carlos NAVARRO (PRD) 28.2%, other 1.3%
note: an alliance between the Panamenista Party and Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) fractured after the 2014 election, but a loose coalition composed of Panamenista and moderate PRD and CD legislators generally work together to support the president’s agenda
description: unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (71 seats; 45 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies - populous towns and cities - by proportional representation vote and 26 directly elected in single-seat constituencies - outlying rural districts - by plurality vote; members serve 5-year terms)
elections: last held on 4 May 2014 (next to be held in May 2019)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRD 26, CD 25, Panamenista 16, MOLIRENA 2, PP 1, independent 1; note - only 57 deputies were officially installed because fourteen runners-up challenged the election
highest court(s): Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (consists of 9 magistrates and 9 alternates and divided into civil, criminal, administrative, and general business chambers)
judge selection and term of office: magistrates appointed by the president for staggered 10-year terms
subordinate courts: appellate courts or Tribunal Superior; Labor Supreme Courts; Court of Audit; circuit courts or Tribunal Circuital (2 each in 9 of the 10 provinces); municipal courts; electoral, family, maritime, and adolescent courts
Democratic Change or CD [Ricardo MARTINELLI Berrocal]
Democratic Revolutionary Party or PRD [Carlos PEREZ Herrera]
Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement or MOLIRENA [Francisco "Pancho" ALEMAN]
Panamenista Party [Juan Carlos VARELA Rodriguez] (formerly the Arnulfista Party)
Popular Party or PP [Milton C. HENRIQUEZ] (formerly Christian Democratic Party or PDC)
Chamber of Commerce
Concertacion Nacional (mechanism for Government of Panama to formally dialogue with representatives of civil society)
National Council of Organized Workers or CONATO
National Council of Private Enterprise or CONEP
National Union of Construction and Similar Workers (SUNTRACS)
Panamanian Association of Business Executives or APEDE
Panamanian Industrialists Society or SIP
Workers Confederation of the Republic of Panama or CTRP
BCIE, CAN (observer), CD, CELAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, Pacific Alliance (observer), PCA, SICA, UN, UNASUR (observer), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
chief of mission: Ambassador Emanuel Arturo GONZALEZ-REVILLA Lince (since 18 September 2014)
chancery: 2862 McGill Terrace NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 483-1407
FAX: [1] (202) 483-8413
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Tampa, Washington DC
chief of mission: Ambassador John D. FEELEY (since 15 February 2015)
embassy: Edificio 783, Avenida Demetrio Basilio Lakas Panama, Apartado Postal 0816-02561, Zona 5, Panama City
mailing address: American Embassy Panama, Unit 0945, APO AA 34002; American Embassy Panama, 9100 Panama City PL, Washington, DC 20521-9100
telephone: [507] 317-5000
FAX: [507] 317-5568
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; the blue and red colors are those of the main political parties (Conservatives and Liberals respectively) and the white denotes peace between them; the blue star stands for the civic virtues of purity and honesty, the red star signifies authority and law
harpy eagle; national colors: blue, white, red
name: "Himno Istmeno" (Isthmus Hymn)
lyrics/music: Jeronimo DE LA OSSA/Santos A. JORGE
note: adopted 1925
Panama's dollar-based economy rests primarily on a well-developed services sector that accounts for more than three-quarters of GDP. Services include operating the Panama Canal, logistics, banking, the Colon Free Trade Zone, insurance, container ports, fl
Growth will be bolstered by the Panama Canal expansion project that began in 2007 and was completed in 2016 at a cost of $5.3 billion - about 10-15% of current GDP. The expansion project will more than double the Canal's capacity, enabling it to accommoda
Strong economic performance has not translated into broadly shared prosperity, as Panama has the second worst income distribution in Latin America. About one-fourth of the population lives in poverty; however, from 2006 to 2012 poverty was reduced by 10 p
$93.12 billion (2016 est.)
$88.52 billion (2015 est.)
$83.69 billion (2014 est.)
note: data are in 2016 dollars
$55.23 billion (2015 est.)
5.2% (2016 est.)
5.8% (2015 est.)
6.1% (2014 est.)
$22,800 (2016 est.)
$22,100 (2015 est.)
$21,300 (2014 est.)
note: data are in 2016 dollars
41.7% of GDP (2016 est.)
41% of GDP (2015 est.)
37.3% of GDP (2014 est.)
household consumption: 49.7%
government consumption: 9.4%
investment in fixed capital: 43.9%
investment in inventories: 3.3%
exports of goods and services: 52%
imports of goods and services: -58.3% (2016 est.)
agriculture: 2.7%
industry: 14.3%
services: 83% (2016 est.)
bananas, rice, corn, coffee, sugarcane, vegetables; livestock; shrimp
construction, brewing, cement and other construction materials, sugar milling
4.8% (2016 est.)
1.611 million
note: shortage of skilled labor, but an oversupply of unskilled labor (2016 est.)
agriculture: 17%
industry: 18.6%
services: 64.4% (2009 est.)
4.5% (2016 est.)
4.5% (2015 est.)
26% (2012 est.)
lowest 10%: 1.1%
highest 10%: 40.1% (2010 est.)
51.9 (2010 est.)
56.1 (2003)
revenues: $11.7 billion
expenditures: $12.41 billion (2016 est.)
21.2% of GDP (2016 est.)
-1.3% of GDP (2016 est.)
39.3% of GDP (2016 est.)
38.8% of GDP (2015 est.)
calendar year
1% (2016 est.)
0.1% (2015 est.)
7.5% (31 December 2016 est.)
7.46% (31 December 2015 est.)
$8.845 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$8.215 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$38.97 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$36.19 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$46.85 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$42.98 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$12.54 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
$10.68 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
$8.348 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
-$3.029 billion (2016 est.)
-$3.377 billion (2015 est.)
$15.19 billion (2016 est.)
$15.92 billion (2015 est.)
note: includes the Colon Free Zone
fruit and nuts, fish, iron and steel waste, wood
US 19.7%, Germany 13.2%, Costa Rica 7.7%, China 5.9%, Netherlands 4.1% (2015)
$22.08 billion (2016 est.)
$22.48 billion (2015 est.)
note: includes the Colon Free Zone
fuels, machinery, vehicles, iron and steel rods, pharmaceuticals
US 25.9%, China 9.6%, Mexico 5.1% (2015)
$3.878 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$3.378 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$22.9 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$21.03 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$49.79 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$45.28 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$10.26 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
$9.755 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
balboas (PAB) per US dollar -
1 (2016 est.)
1 (2015 est.)
1 (2014 est.)
1 (2013 est.)
1 (2012 est.)
population without electricity: 300,000
electrification - total population: 91%
electrification - urban areas: 94%
electrification - rural areas: 80% (2013)
9 billion kWh (2014 est.)
7.8 billion kWh (2014 est.)
99 million kWh (2014 est.)
200 million kWh (2014 est.)
2.7 million kW (2014 est.)
38.7% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
61.3% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
0 bbl (1 January 2010 es)
0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
136,000 bbl/day (2014 est.)
66.08 bbl/day (2013 est.)
127,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)
0 cu m (2013 est.)
0 cu m (2013 est.)
0 cu m (2013 est.)
0 cu m (2013 est.)
0 cu m (1 January 2014 es)
17 million Mt (2013 est.)
total subscriptions: 620,436
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 17 (July 2015 est.)
total: 6.947 million
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 190 (July 2015 est.)
general assessment: domestic and international facilities well-developed
domestic: mobile-cellular telephone subscribership has increased rapidly
international: country code - 507; landing point for the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1), the MAYA-1, and PAN-AM submarine cable systems that together provide links to the US and parts of the Caribbean, Central America, and South America; satellite earth (2015)
multiple privately owned TV networks and a government-owned educational TV station; multi-channel cable and satellite TV subscription services are available; more than 100 commercial radio stations (2007)
.pa
total: 1.873 million
percent of population: 51.2% (July 2015 est.)
number of registered air carriers: 4
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 103
annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 12,018,103
annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 121,567,075 mt-km (2015)
HP (2016)
117 (2013)
total: 57
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 20
under 914 m: 30 (2013)
total: 60
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 51 (2013)
3 (2013)
oil 128 km (2013)
total: 77 km
standard gauge: 77 km 1.435-m gauge (2014)
total: 15,137 km
paved: 6,351 km
unpaved: 8,786 km (2010)
800 km (includes the 82-km Panama Canal that is being widened) (2011)
total: 6,413
by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 2,525, cargo 1,115, carrier 27, chemical tanker 588, combination ore/oil 1, container 742, liquefied gas 205, passenger 42, passenger/cargo 51, petroleum tanker 545, refrigerated cargo 191, roll on/roll off 87, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 290
foreign-owned: 5,157 (Albania 4, Argentina 5, Australia 4, Bahamas 6, Bangladesh 5, Belgium 1, Bermuda 27, Brazil 3, Bulgaria 6, Burma 3, Canada 6, Chile 14, China 534, Colombia 2, Croatia 2, Cuba 2, Cyprus 5, Denmark 41, Ecuador 3, Egypt 11, Finland 2, France 7, Gabon 1, Ger
registered in other countries: 1 (Honduras 1) (2010)
major seaport(s): Balboa, Colon, Cristobal
container port(s) (TEUs): Balboa (3,232,265), Colon (2,390,976), Manzanillo (2,391,066)
no regular military forces; Panamanian Public Security Forces (subordinate to the Ministry of Public Security), comprising the National Police (PNP), National Air-Naval Service (SENAN), National Border Service (SENAFRONT) (2013)
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"
organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia operate within the remote border region with Panama
refugees (country of origin): 15,593 (Colombia) (2015)
stateless persons: 2 (2015)
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
