Panama

Major Cities of Panama in the Geographic Region of Central America and the Caribbean

Panamá • San Miguelito • Tocumen • David • Arraiján • Colón • Las Cumbres • La Chorrera • Pacora • Santiago de Veraguas • Chitré • Vista Alegre • Chilibre • Cativá • Nuevo Arraiján • Changuinola • Alcalde Díaz • Puerto Armuelles • La Cabima • Aguadulce • La Concepción • Pedregal • Veracruz • Chepo • Antón • Bocas del Toro • Sabanitas • Penonomé • Puerto Escondido • El Coco • Las Lomas • Pocrí • Volcán • Unión Chocó • Ancón • Las Tablas • Guadalupe • Almirante • Soná • Boquete • Guabito • Los Santos • Puerto Pilón • Natá • La Mitra • Río Hato • El Progreso • Lídice • Potrero Grande • Alto del Espino • Río Alejandro • Bejuco • Capira • La Herradura • Las Margaritas • Pesé • Quebrada Canoa • Buena Vista • Ocú • Cañazas • Cerro Punta • Villa Rosario • Parita • Atalaya • Monte Lirio • Gualaca • Paso Blanco • Vista Hermosa • Sioguí Abajo • Bugaba • Ustupo • Divalá • Chiriquí • Chame • La Peña • Capellanía • La Mesa • Chigoré • Macaracas • Nuevo Vigía • Progreso • Guararé • Playón Chico • Los Algarrobos • Santa Rita Arriba • La Esperanza • Santa Marta • La Pintada • Río Sereno • San Francisco • Santo Domingo • Montijo • La Palma • Quebrada Bonita Adentro • Escobal • San Vicente de Bique • Achutupo • Santa María • Nuevo Emperador • El Espino • Churuquita Grande • Sortova • Puerto Caimito • Aserrío de Gariché • La Loma • Dolega District • Ailigandí • Tonosí • Finca Blanco • Los Algarrobos • Yaviza • El Roble • Pedasí • Gatún • Guarumal • Nueva Gorgona • Isla Bastimentos • Las Palmas • Las Colinas • Chiriquí Grande • San Ignacio de Tupile • Calzada Larga • Cabra Número Uno • Santa Clara • Barranco • Finca Corredor • El Rincón • Alanje • Punta de Burica • Jaqué • Garachiné • Juan Díaz • Metetí • Boquerón • Los Lotes • La Espigadilla • El Giral • Mulatupo • Kusapín • Cerro Azul • La Palma • Cerro Cama • Palmas Bellas • Portobelo • Llano Marín • Cañita • Villa Carmen • El Caño • La Colorada • San Andrés • Santa Fé • Nuevo San Juan • Coclé • Río Rita • Gómez • Potrerillos Abajo • Río de Jesús • El Copé • Paraíso • Santo Domingo • Pueblo Nuevo • Río Duque • La Victoria • Tijeras • Quinteño • María Chiquita • Palmira • Churuquita Chiquita • La Mesa • Río Grande • Los Anastacios • Plaza de Caisán • El Ejido • Llano de Piedra • Bella Vista • El Cortezo • Sioguí Arriba • Caimitillo • El Cristo • La Tiza • Narganá • Alto de La Estancia • El Coco • Llano Largo • Las Minas • Agua Buena • Las Lomas • Tubualá • Mata del Nance • Cartí Sugdup • San Félix • El Espino de Santa Rosa • Boca de Parita • Potrerillos Arriba • Pueblo Viejo • Los Boquerones • Entradero • Punta Peña • Chiguirí Arriba • El Silencio •

Panama Photo Gallery

Panama Realty

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THE PANAMA COAT OF ARMS

Location of Panama within the Geographic Region of Central America and the Caribbean

Map of Panama

Flag Description of Panama:The flag of Panama was officially adopted on November 3, 1903. The flag was modeled after the USA flag, however, the colored stars are said to represent the country's conservative (red) and liberal (blue) parties. White symbolizes peace.

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Official name República de Panamá (Republic of Panama)
Form of government multiparty republic with one legislative house (National Assembly [71])
Head of state and government President: Juan Carlos Varela
Capital Panama City
Official language Spanish
Official religion none
Monetary unit balboa (B)
Population (2013 est.) 3,851,000COLLAPSE
Total area (sq mi) 28,640
Total area (sq km) 74,177
Urban-rural population

Urban: (2011) 75.3%

Rural: (2011) 24.7%

Life expectancy at birth

Male: (2012) 75.2 years

Female: (2012) 80.9 years

Literacy: percentage of population age 15 and over literate

Male: (2008) 94.1%

Female: (2008) 92.8%

GNI per capita (U.S.$) (2013) 10,700

Background of Panama

Panama, country of Central America located on the Isthmus of Panama, the narrow bridge of land that connects North and South America. Embracing the isthmus and more than 1,600 islands off its Atlantic and Pacific coasts, the tropical nation is renowned as the site of the Panama Canal, which cuts through its midsection. It is equally well known for its natural beauty, for its diverse plant and animal life, including hundreds of bird and tree species, and for its vibrant music and culture.

The home of several Native American peoples, such as the Kuna and Chocó, Panama became the first Spanish colony on the Pacific. Celebrated as “the door to the seas and key to the universe,” it served in the 1530s as the staging point for the Spanish conquest of the Inca empire, and until the 19th century it was a transshipment point for gold and silver destined for Spain. With the independence of Colombia, which once controlled Panama, from Spain, Panama came to serve as another staging point, this time for oceangoing migrants to the gold fields of California. Since 1914 the 51-mile- (82-km-) long Panama Canal, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, has afforded a long-sought shortcut for shipping and assures the country’s standing as one of the most strategic transportation hubs of the world. The canal also secures Panama’s ongoing role in international affairs and world commerce. The United States relinquished jurisdiction of the Panama Canal on Dec. 31, 1999, marking an unprecedented shift in Panamanian society. For the first time in nearly a century as an independent nation, Panama controlled the entirety of its national territory.

Panama enjoys a lively mix of cultural influences, expressed in the country’s cuisine, artwork, music, and literature. Its capital, Panama City, is located on the Pacific coast just east of the canal. A cosmopolitan city where skyscrapers tower above whitewashed bungalows, it enjoys a handsome setting and a growing importance as a commercial and financial services centre for the region. However, its economic progress has been hampered periodically by environmental problems and political turmoil.

Geography of Panama

The Land

• Relief

Panama is bounded to the north by the Caribbean Sea (an extension of the Atlantic Ocean) and to the south by the Pacific Ocean. It has an elongated S shape, with its Caribbean coastline stretching some 800 miles (1,290 km) and the Pacific coast some 1,060 miles (1,700 km); however, a line drawn from the Costa Rican frontier in the west to the Colombian border in the east would extend only 480 miles (770 km). The shortest distance across the isthmus is 31 miles (50 km), from the mouth of the Nergalá (Necategua) River, which flows into the Gulf of San Blas on the Caribbean shore, to the mouth of the Chepo River on the Pacific coast.

A central spine of mountain ranges extends almost the entire length of Panama, dividing the country into Atlantic- and Pacific-facing slopes. The two principal ranges, the Tabasará Mountains (Cordillera Central) in the west and the Cordillera de San Blas in the east, are separated near the centre of the country by a saddle of lower land. This depression (the Panama Canal site) divides the country again—roughly into western and eastern halves. Of the four quadrants thus formed, the southwestern has the largest number of settlements; however, the environs of the canal account for most of Panama’s population and commerce. The country’s highest peak is an inactive volcano, Barú (Chiriquí), which reaches an elevation of 11,401 feet (3,475 metres).

Paralleling the principal mountain chains, a lower mountain arc extends along Panama’s southern coast. It appears only in well-separated segments—for example, on Azuero Peninsula as the Canajagua Massif and in eastern Panama as the Sierra de Jungurudó, Sapo Mountains, and the Majé Mountains. The highlands and mountains are made up primarily of igneous (volcanic) rocks.

The lowlands include the plains of Panamá and Chiriquí provinces, the plains and hills of Colón province, the Chepo and Chucunaque river basins in the east, and the narrow northeastern plains of the Caribbean region. Sedimentary rocks such as slates and shales underlie most of the lowland zones.

The Pacific coastline is extended by the Azuero Peninsula and the Gulf of Panama and by numerous headlands and bays, whereas the largest embayment on the Caribbean side is Chiriquí Lagoon. The Pacific coastline is more indented and irregular, and its continental shelf is much wider than that on the Atlantic side. In addition, most of the republic’s more than 1,600 islands lie off its Pacific coast; they include the Perlas Archipelago (Pearl Islands) and the islands of Taboga, Cébaco, Parida, Jicarón, and Coiba, the largest. The principal archipelagoes off the Caribbean coast are those of Bocas del Toro and San Blas.

• Drainage and soils

Of Panama’s many short rivers, those that flow to the Caribbean include the Sixaola, Changuinola, Indio, Cricamola, La Miel, and Chagres. Rivers flowing to the Pacific include the Chiriquí Viejo, Santa María, Chepo, Chucunaque, and Tuira. During the rainy season the Tuira is navigable for some 40 miles (60 km) and the Chepo for 20 miles (30 km). Water in the Panama Canal does not flow from coast to coast; rather, it is released from the rain-fed Gatún and Alajuela (Madden) lakes in the central highlands. In effect, the water flows to both coasts simultaneously via the canal’s system of locks and dams. For details on the engineering and operation of the waterway, see Panama Canal.

Soils are commonly reddish to brown and rich in clay. They vary in fertility, and in many areas crops can be grown continuously only if fertilizers are applied. On poorer soils, a shifting subsistence agriculture is practiced. Under this system small plots are cleared, cropped for a few years, then abandoned until their natural fertility is restored—a practice called roza in Panama.

Areas of alluvial soils (which develop from clay, silt, sand, and gravel deposited by streams) are especially fertile but are limited to the lower parts of river valleys. The commercial banana plantations around Puerto Armuelles and in western Bocas del Toro province are mainly on alluvial soils. Some of the soils along the inland edges of coastal mangrove swamps have also proved productive. In some areas, exceptionally fertile soils have developed from volcanic ash.

• Climate

Climatic conditions are markedly different on the Atlantic and Pacific sides of western Panama, especially in the amount and seasonal distribution of rainfall. On the Caribbean slopes of the Tabasará Mountains, which face the rain-bearing trade winds, average rainfall is approximately twice as heavy as on the leeward Pacific slopes. The Caribbean coast receives 60–140 inches (1,500–3,550 mm) per year, while the more populated Pacific region receives 45–90 inches (1,140–2,290 mm). Furthermore, on the Caribbean side rain falls almost throughout the year, while on the Pacific side there is more seasonal variation—in Chiriquí province, for example, there is a pronounced dry season lasting from January to April, and March is usually the driest month. In accordance with this rainfall pattern, tropical rainforests are typical on Caribbean slopes, whereas savannas (tropical grasslands) are more common southward in the seasonally dry areas between the Tabasará Mountains and the Pacific shoreline. Toward the Colombian border both sides of the isthmus have year-round rainfall.

Because of Panama’s tropical location, the mean temperature of the coldest month seldom drops below 78 °F (26 °C) on either coast. The Panamanian mountain slopes create three climatic zones: a low, hot zone, lying at elevations below 2,300 feet (700 metres), which makes up nearly nine-tenths of the country’s territory; a temperate zone, at elevations ranging from 2,300 to 4,900 feet (700 to 1,500 metres), which accounts for most of the rest of the land; and a tiny cold zone, lying above 4,900 feet. Each zone has its characteristic plant growth and crops; cacao and bananas are produced mainly in the hot lowlands, whereas coffee is grown in the temperate zone.

• Plant and animal life

In spite of its relatively small area, Panama has a great variety of landscapes and habitats: tropical rainforests, savannas, cool montane forests, tidal lands covered by stilted mangrove trees, coral reefs, and beaches. Because of its ancient role as a land bridge over which species have migrated between the continents, the isthmus is home to a rich intermixture of plant and animal life. As a result of this interchange, Panama’s wildlife includes such mammals as sloths, anteaters, and armadillos—which derive from South America—as well as jaguars, tapirs, and deer—which came originally from North America. Also among Panama’s rich fauna are several species of giant sea turtle, which lay their eggs on the beaches. Few comparable areas have a larger number of bird species, both resident and migratory.

National parks and reserves occupy about one-sixth of the nation’s land area. Panama’s parks are known for their lush tropical rainforests and abundance of wildlife. The Darién region of eastern Panama is the site of a national park created in 1980 and added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List the following year. La Amistad National Park was established in 1988 alongside Costa Rica’s protected Talamanca Range–La Amistad region; the two zones were designated a transboundary World Heritage site in 1990. Among other national parks are Chagres (1984), Portobelo (1976), and Coiba (1991).

Demography of Panama

The People

• Ethnic groups

In the 16th century, when the Spaniards came to the isthmus, it was occupied by Kuna (Cuna), Guaymí, Chocó, and other American Indian groups. The population soon included persons of mixed Spanish and Indian ancestry, termed mestizos. During colonial times people from Africa were brought to the isthmus as slaves, and still other mixed ethnic types developed as the Africans were incorporated into the society. During the 19th century, with the construction of the Panama City–Colón railroad, new groups arrived—North Americans (primarily from the United States), French, and Chinese. Large numbers of West Indians (mainly from British Barbados and Jamaica, as well as Martinique) came to Panama as labourers during the construction of the canal, and additional U.S. nationals, Spaniards, Italians, and Greeks also arrived.

Although they are but a small fraction of the total population, Indians are found scattered over a considerable area, often in rainforests on rough terrain. The most numerous of the Indian groups are the Guaymí, who live in the western provinces of Chiriquí, Bocas del Toro, and Veraguas. Next in numbers are the Kuna, who are found primarily in the San Blas Archipelago and on the coast nearby. The Chocó live mainly in the province of Darién. Although most are engaged largely in subsistence agriculture, fishing, and hunting, some Kuna are traders, sailors, or mechanics or work in other occupations. Many Guaymí work on the banana plantations of western Panama.

Mestizos are the largest population group in Panama. They predominate in the savannas to the west of the canal and in the central provinces of Panamá and Colón, where they have intermarried with people of West Indian and African ancestry.

People of African descent are settled throughout much of Panama—for example, in the hot lowlands of the Chagres River basin, in the eastern province of Darién, and in the Caribbean lowlands. Peoples from the British West Indies are more recent arrivals and make up only a small minority. They live primarily in Panama City and in Bocas del Toro province.

The United States has influenced both the economy and the culture of Panama. U.S. citizens live primarily in the canal area and in Panama City. Other significant minorities in Panama are Chinese, East Indians, and Middle Easterners, all of whom play an important role in commerce and industry and who participate in the country’s political and professional life. There is a sizable Jewish community, founded when Spanish and Portuguese Jews fleeing the Inquisition began to settle in Panama. They initially were forced to practice their religion in secret. The population was increased by Jewish immigrants from the West Indies (notably from Curaçao) in the mid-19th century. Panama had the Western Hemisphere’s first Jewish president, Eric Arturo Delvalle (del Valle), who served in the 1980s.

• Language

Spanish is the official language of Panama and is spoken by the vast majority of the people. Although fewer than one-tenth of the people speak American Indian languages, all of Panama’s Indian groups preserve their native tongues, and many Indians also speak Spanish. Most Panamanians from West Indian backgrounds speak English, which is also commonly taught in schools.

• Religion

Roman Catholicism is the religion of four-fifths of Panamanians. The number of Protestants grew rapidly in the late 20th century, especially among Pentecostal churches. There is also a long-standing Protestant tradition within the African population of Bocas del Toro province and among Indian groups and West Indian immigrants. Three synagogues serve the Jewish population. Some Panamanians practice the syncretic religion Santería, a combination of Roman Catholic and traditional West African beliefs and customs. Panama’s constitution guarantees freedom of worship.

• Settlement patterns

The most densely settled part of Panama is in the vicinity of the canal, on a broad coast-to-coast strip of land that crosses the country where it is at its lowest and narrowest. This area, partly drained by the Chagres River, is known as the Chagres, or Route, region. It includes the cities of Panama City and Colón, the urban district of San Miguelito, and the towns of Balboa, La Chorrera, Gamboa, and Cristóbal. Panama City, situated on the Pacific coast overlooking the Bay of Panama, is the dominant population centre and the focus of Panama’s industrial, commercial, political, and cultural activities. San Miguelito is the second largest urban centre, and Colón the third largest.

The densest rural population is found in the broad area of plains and low hills lying between the Azuero Peninsula and the Tabasará Mountains. The least densely settled areas are in the eastern third of the country, especially in the large province of Darién, and on the Atlantic slopes of the Tabasará Mountains.

• Demographic trends

The 1911 census enumerated 336,000 persons in Panama. By the late 1990s the population had increased more than eightfold. Panama’s rate of natural increase was about average among Latin American countries. During World War II many immigrant labourers arrived, but they were later repatriated.

The proportion of the population living in cities grew rapidly in the late 20th century; Panamanians are now predominantly urban, although the nation remains less urban than most Latin American countries. Some two-fifths of its people live in hamlets or isolated dwellings, and many engage in subsistence agriculture. There was much internal migration from the mid-20th century, when increasing numbers of people began moving to urban areas—especially to Panama City and Colón—in search of better living and economic conditions. In addition, because many rural inhabitants practice shifting agriculture, they have tended to move to new zones in order to obtain land for farming and herding.

Economy of Panama

Nearly three-fourths of Panama’s gross domestic product (GDP) is generated by the service sector—a greater proportion than in any other Latin American country—and services employ the majority of the workforce. Services have grown mainly because of offshore banking and canal traffic; public administration and other services are also important. Agriculture and fishing account for less than one-tenth of the GDP but nearly one-fifth of the workforce.

Prior to the 1990s U.S. forces stationed in Panama supported approximately 5 percent of the GDP. The Panamanian government, recognizing that the U.S. troop withdrawal would remove hundreds of millions of dollars from the national economy, has attempted to compensate by redeveloping formerly U.S.-controlled properties, including prime real estate in Panama City. The government has also promoted ecotourism and the repair of rail and road systems. In recent years large investments from China, Latin America, and the Middle East, as well as from the United States, have helped boost economic growth.

• Agriculture, forestry, and fishing

Seminomadic and subsistence agriculture exists alongside large, modern commercial enterprises. Since the enactment of a land tenure system in 1962, some small farmers have acquired land, but by late in the 20th century fewer than one-third of all farms were owned by the people working them.

The most common agricultural products are sugarcane, bananas, rice, plantains, corn (maize), and oranges, and the commercial cultivation of these and other crops increased considerably during the 20th century. Livestock raising (cattle, pigs, and poultry) is an important and long-established economic activity, and beef and hides are exported. The country’s largest cattle-raising farms are in the southwestern savannas—in Chiriquí, Los Santos, and Veraguas provinces. The provinces of Panamá, Los Santos, Chiriquí, and Veraguas raise the most pigs, whereas Panamá, Coclé, and Colón are the largest centres for poultry and egg production.

Considering Panama’s abundant and valuable forest resources, there has been little use of the country’s native trees for industrial purposes. Mahogany, tropical cedar, cativo (a large tree belonging to the legume family), and other woods supply domestic sawmills, and some logs are exported. Large tracts of Panama’s rainforests have been felled, burned, and replaced by pastures for the cattle industry.

Fishing has developed rapidly as a commercial venture. Shrimp and lobsters are among Panama’s most important exports, with several thousand tons of shrimp caught yearly. The shrimp and fish (mainly anchovy and herring) catch is taken mostly from the shallow waters of the continental shelf in the Gulf of Panama. Lobsters are caught mainly off Bocas del Toro and San Blas on the Atlantic side. Aquaculture has also been successfully developed.

• Resources and power

Clay, limestone, and salt are the leading mineral products, and gold, ferrous sand, and manganese have been mined on a small scale. There are commercially significant but largely unexploited deposits of copper, including the Cerro Colorado find in Chiriquí province. Deposits of bauxite, phosphates, and coal have been minimally exploited, as have various construction materials such as stone and gravel. Petroleum reserves have been found off the Pacific and Caribbean shores.

Electricity was long distributed by the state-run Institute of Hydraulic Resources and Electrification before it was privatized in 1998. Much of Panama’s electricity is generated by hydroelectric dams. The first plants were opened in 1975 at La Yeguada in Veraguas province and in 1976 on the Chepo River; the largest, at La Fortuna, opened in 1984.

• Manufacturing

Although there has long been a considerable international trade based on the country’s key location as a crossroads, modern industrial development began mainly after World War II. The leading industries are food processing (notably fish, sugar, bananas, and cacao), oil refining (near Colón), and the production of natural gas and electricity. Other major products include clothing, shoes and leather goods, alcoholic beverages, paper, chemicals, cement (in the limestone areas near the Trans-Isthmian Highway), and tobacco products. The main manufacturing centres are Panama City and the Colón Free Zone, and there is some industry at Colón and David.

• Finance, trade, and services

Finance and trade are the cornerstones of the Panamanian service sector, which is, in turn, the basis of the national economy.

FINANCE

In 1970 the Panamanian government began to promote offshore banking by giving international transactions tax-exempt status; it also removed other forms of regulation. As a result, Panama attracted great amounts of foreign capital, and by the 1980s it had become Latin America’s largest financial centre. Several major Latin American, North American, and European banks have branch offices in Panama City. Some of these also operate branches in the provinces and provide loans for industrial, agricultural, and cattle-raising ventures.

The National Bank of Panama (1970) oversees the banking system, which was partly reformed in 1998 to discourage money-laundering schemes connected to narcotics trafficking. The national currency, the balboa, is issued only in coins. The balboa is at par with the U.S. dollar, and U.S. paper currency is freely circulated. The Stock Exchange of Panama (1960) is the main stock exchange.

TRADE

Panama’s principal imports are machinery, fossil fuels, transportation equipment, and chemicals and chemical products. Two-fifths of the imports are from the United States, and smaller amounts are from Ecuador, Japan, and Mexico. Exports include food products such as bananas, shrimp, and coffee, as well as clothing. The United States takes the largest share of these exports, followed by Germany and Costa Rica.

The Colón Free Zone, established in the mid-20th century at the northern end of the canal, has become increasingly important as a manufacturing, warehousing, and reexport centre similar to the maquiladora districts of other Central American countries and Mexico. The Free Zone’s several hundred factories produce chemical products, textiles and clothing, machinery, and transportation equipment. Raw materials or semifinished products come from Hong Kong, the United States, Japan, Italy, South Korea, and elsewhere. Finished products are sent largely to Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, and other countries of Central and South America, but some are used domestically.

Since the colonial era, contraband trade has been significant in Panama among those wishing to avoid duties or other government controls. In the late 20th century Panama became a major transshipment centre for smuggling narcotics such as Colombian cocaine and heroin. Until 1999 the U.S. military directed a regional drug interdiction program from Panama, but narcotics traffic was only partly abated, and the rate of drug consumption among Panamanians soared in the 1990s. Cocaine and heroin continue to traverse Panama en route to destinations in North America, Europe, and elsewhere.

SERVICES

Restaurants and entertainment, real estate, government, tourism, insurance, and miscellaneous other services are also important to the Panamanian economy.

Tourism contributes nearly one-fourth as much to the Panamanian economy as the finance and real estate sector. In addition to the unique attraction of the Panama Canal, tourists are drawn to the thousand miles of beaches on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts as well as the myriad of offshore islands and the mix of colonial and contemporary life in Panama City, which also boasts a lively night life. The mild climate affords year-round opportunities for tennis, golf, fishing, boating, and diving and other water sports. The San Blas islands draw visitors to the traditional culture of the Kuna. Panama’s abundant and varied flora and fauna on both land and sea draw ecotourists, who have their choice of habitats to explore, including richly diverse cloud forests and coral reefs. Much of the potential in this area, however, remains underdeveloped.

• Labour and taxation

About two-thirds of Panama’s labour force works in the broadly defined service sector. Workers in the private sector and most government workers have the right to form unions and to bargain collectively, but only about one-tenth of workers are union members. The Labour Code establishes guidelines for worker’s rights and regulates the terms of employment. Women are guaranteed equal pay and maternity benefits, and more than one-third of women are employed outside the home. Underemployment and unemployment have been a problem since the recession of the 1970s, with the rate of job creation consistently lagging behind the rate of new entrants into the labour market. About one-seventh of Panamanian workers were unemployed in the late 1990s.

Panamanian workers and businesses pay a progressive income tax. Other levies include value-added tax, property tax, payroll tax, tax on the manufacture or importation of consumer goods, and various other fees. Taxes comprise seven-tenths of the national revenue.

• Transportation and telecommunications

Since prehistoric and ancient times the Isthmus of Panama has been an intercontinental passageway for migration. Today, Panama links the oceans as well, via the Panama Canal, an interoceanic highway, a railroad, and an oil pipeline.

PANAMA CANAL AND COASTAL PORTS

The Panama Canal, built by the United States and operated continuously since its opening in 1914, has fortified Panama’s role as an international shipping and trade centre. From 1903 until 1979 a strip of land 10 miles (16 km) wide lying on either side of the canal, the Canal Zone, was controlled by the United States. By treaties signed between the two countries in 1977, the Canal Zone was abolished in 1979, and Panama reasserted its sovereignty over the Canal Zone, with Panama and the United States sharing in the operation and defense of the canal itself until the end of 1999, when Panama assumed full control.

The Panamanian coastline has many natural harbours that are excellent for sheltering vessels, but the best ports are those at either end of the canal—Cristóbal, near Colón, and Balboa, near Panama City. Other important ports, primarily serving the banana trade, include Almirante and Puerto Armuelles. Coastal shipping is important for Panamanian agriculture.

LAND AND AIR TRANSPORTATION

The country has some 7,000 miles (11,000 km) of roads, one-third of which are paved. The main routes extend from the capital to the central provinces (Coclé, Herrera, Los Santos, and Veraguas) and to the western section of the country (Veraguas and Chiriquí provinces). The principal highways include the Trans-Isthmian Highway, running across the isthmus from Panama City to Colón, and the Inter-American Highway, which is the Panamanian section of the Pan-American Highway; the latter has been completed from the Costa Rican border eastward, through Panama City, to a point near Yaviza in Darién province, some 25 miles (40 km) from the Colombian border. Completion of the final segment of the highway has been delayed because of concerns about the impact of road construction and usage on the sensitive ecology of the area.

In 1982 an interoceanic oil pipeline was built in western Panama, connecting the Pacific and the Atlantic coasts. The line extends some 80 miles (130 km) from Puerto Armuelles over the Tabasará Mountains to Chiriquí Lagoon. A road was built through the mountains paralleling the pipeline.

A 49-mile (79-km) transcontinental railroad, the Panama-Colón line (now the Panama Canal Railway), was completed in 1855 by a U.S. company. The Chiriquí National Railroad operates both passenger and freight service between La Concepción and Puerto Armuelles and freight service between David and Pedregal on the Pacific. A railroad in Bocas del Toro province serves the banana-growing area.

Tocumen International Airport, Panama’s major airport, is located 16 miles (26 km) from the capital and is served by several airlines. There are regular flights between Panama City airports, notably the former Albrook Air Force Station, and more than 100 airfields throughout the country. Panama has both domestic and international airlines.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

In 1996 legislation established a regulatory commission for public utility companies. A major move toward privatization was taken in 1997, when 49 percent of the national telecommunications monopoly INTEL, which provided basic telecommunications services, was sold to a British firm. Additional privatizations were also planned, and some services, such as cellular, paging, and satellite communications, were fully privatized by the early 21st century. Panama leads the countries of Central America in both standard and cellular telephones per capita. A full range of business and Internet services is expanding rapidly, though still small in scale.

Culture Life of Panama

The culture of Panama was strongly influenced by European music, art and traditions that were brought to the country by settlers from Spain. These Spanish cultural influences blended with those from African and the indigenous peoples. For example, the tamborito is a Spanish dance that was blended with Native American rhythms, themes and dance moves. Dance is a symbol of the diverse cultures that have coupled in Panama.

The local folklore can be experienced through a multitude of festivals, dances and traditions that have been handed down from generation to generation. Local cities host live Reggae en Español, Cuban, Reggaeton (popular with the younger generation), Kompa, Colombian, jazz, blues, salsa, reggae and rock performances. Outside of Panama City, regional festivals take place throughout the year featuring local musicians and dancers.

Another example of Panama’s blended culture is reflected in the traditional products, such as woodcarvings, ceremonial masks and pottery, as well as in its architecture, cuisine and festivals. In earlier times, baskets were woven for utilitarian uses, but now many villages rely economically almost exclusively on the baskets they produce for tourists.

An example of unique culture in Panama stems from the Kuna Indians who are known for molas. Mola is the Kuna Indian word for blouse, but the term mola has come to mean the elaborate embroidered panels that make up the front and back of a Kuna woman's blouse. Molas are works of art created by the women of the tribe. They are several layers of cloth varying in color that are loosely stitched together using an appliqué process referred to as "reverse appliqué."

The best overview of Panamanian culture is found in the 'Museum of the Panamanian in Panama City. Other views can be found at the Museum of Panamanian History, the Museum of Natural Sciences, the Museum of Religious Colonial Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of the Interoceanic Canal, and the national institutes of culture and music.

Religion

The overwhelming majority of Panamanians are Roman Catholic, accounting for almost 80 percent of the population. Although the Constitution recognizes Catholicism as the religion of the great majority, Panama has no official religion. Minority religions in Panama include Protestantism (12 percent), Islam (4.4 percent), the Bahá'í Faith (1.2 percent), Buddhism (at least 1 percent), Greek Orthodox, Judaism, and Hinduism (less than one percent each).

The Jewish community in Panama, with over 10,000 members, is by far the largest in the region (including Central America, Colombia and the Caribbean). Jewish immigration began in the late 19th century, and there are synagogues in Panama City, as well as two Jewish schools. Within Latin America, Panama has one of the largest Jewish communities in proportion to its population, surpassed only by Uruguay and Argentina. Panama's communities of Muslims, East Asians, and South Asians are also among the largest.

Panama City hosts a Bahá'í House of Worship, one of only eight in the world. Completed in 1972, it is perched on a high hill facing the canal, and is constructed of local mud laid in a pattern reminiscent of Native American fabric designs.

History of Panama

Early History and Spanish Control

Panama was densely inhabited by different indigenous peoples before the arrival of the Spanish. The first European sighting of Panama was by the Spaniard Rodrigo de Bastidas in 1501, and Columbus dropped anchor off the present-day Portobelo in 1502. Martín Fernández de Enciso and Diego de Niuesa failed in their efforts at colonization in Darién. Vasco Núñez de Balboa established the first successful colony in 1510 and became governor of the region. The indigenous population was soon devastated by the Spanish and by the diseases they carried from Europe.

In 1513, Balboa made his momentous voyage across the isthmus to the Pacific, thus highlighting the dominant factor in the nation's history—the short distance from sea to sea. Under the governorship of Pedro Arias de Ávila, Panama City was founded (1519). Soon the isthmus became the route by which the treasures of the Inca empire were transferred to Spain, attracting the unwelcome attention of English buccaneers—such as Sir Francis Drake, William Parker, Sir Henry Morgan, and Edward Vernon—who swooped down on the gold-bearing galleons and the treasures of Portobelo. Panama was subordinated to the viceroyalty of Peru and remained in this status until 1717, when it was transferred to New Granada.

Attempts at Scottish settlement in the Darién Scheme of the 17th cent. failed wretchedly. With the decline of the Spanish Empire, Panama lost much of its importance in the carrying trade. Panama became a part of independent Colombia in 1821. Its significance as a crossroad was enhanced again when U.S. settlers bound for Oregon and the goldfields of California passed through Panama. W. H. Aspinall built (1848–55) the Panama RR, and the question of a canal across the isthmus became paramount. The project ultimately led to a revolution against Colombian sovereignty and the establishment of Panama as a separate republic (see Panama Canal).

• Independence, the United States, and the Canal

The new state, proclaimed in Nov., 1903, was under the aegis of the United States, and the canal and American interests in it became the determinants of Panama's history. The Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty with the United States established the Panama Canal Zone, controlled by the United States, and authorized U.S. intervention in Panamanian affairs if necessary to protect the zone. The internal politics of the republic have been stormy, with frequent changes of administration. U.S. forces were landed in 1908, 1912, and 1918. A controversial figure in Panamanian politics was Arnulfo Arias who was elected president in 1940 and ousted a year later for being pro-Fascist. He seized power in 1949 but was overthrown in 1951. José Antonio Remón, elected in 1952, was assassinated in 1955; Ernesto de la Guardia, Jr., inaugurated the following year, survived disturbances in 1958 and 1959.

In the meantime, a new canal treaty was concluded in 1955, as political unrest developed in Panama over the Canal Zone issue. In 1958 and again in 1960 further steps were taken to assuage Panamanian discontent by establishing uniform wages and employment opportunities in the Canal Zone and by reaffirming Panama's titular sovereignty over the zone. Roberto F. Chiari, a conservative landowner, was elected president in 1960. Marco A. Robles defeated Arias for the presidency in 1964. When U.S. high-school students illegally displayed an American flag in the Canal Zone (Jan., 1964), serious riots broke out. Diplomatic relations between Panama and the United States were briefly suspended. New treaties were negotiated (1967), providing for Panamanian sovereignty over the Canal Zone, joint operation of the canal, and possible construction of a new, sea-level canal, but Panama refused to ratify them (1970).

In early 1974 Panama and the United States agreed in principle for the first time to the eventual end of U.S. jurisdiction over the canal and the Canal Zone. Arias was again elected president in Oct., 1968, but was deposed 11 days later in a military coup. Gen. Omar Torrijos Herrera emerged as the dominant figure shortly thereafter. Torrijos conducted enormous public works projects that gained him considerable popularity while plunging the country into debt. In 1977, he concluded a treaty with the United States that provided for a gradual transfer of jurisdiction over the Canal Zone and the canal to Panama by the end of 1999. A second treaty guaranteed the permanent neutrality of the canal.

• The Noriega Years and Modern Panama

After the death of Torrijos in a plane crash in 1981, Colonel Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno slowly gained power, and in 1983 he took complete control of the national guard and of the country. Throughout the 1980s Noriega manipulated elections, ruling Panama through presidents who were mostly mere puppets. In 1987 a former officer of the Panamanian Defense Force (the expanded National Guard) publicly accused Noriega of ordering the murder of a prominent political opponent, manipulating election results, and engaging in drug smuggling with Colombian drug producers. As a result, the United States imposed strict sanctions that severely damaged Panama's economy and resulted in large protests against Noriega in Panama City.

On Dec. 15, 1989, the Panamanian legislature declared Noriega president and proclaimed that the United States and Panama were in a state of war. The same day a U.S. marine was killed by Panamanian soldiers. On Dec. 20, the United States attacked Panama City with a combined military force of more than 25,000 soldiers in an effort to remove Noriega from power.

Noriega surrendered on Jan. 3, 1990, and was taken to the United States, where he was later tried, convicted, and jailed on charges of drug trafficking. Guillermo Endara Galimany, elected to the presidency in May, 1989, but prevented by Noriega from taking office, was sworn into office during the invasion. The invasion resulted in considerable loss of life as well as significant damage to Panama City. In 1994, Ernesto Pérez Balladares, a former associate of Torrijos and the candidate of the political party that had once supported but later repudiated Noriega, won the presidential election. He introduced a sweeping economic reform plan and pledged to fight corruption and drug trafficking. In Oct., 1994, the constitution was amended to abolish Panama's military. Mireya Moscoso Rodríguez, a coffee company owner and the widow of Arnulfo Arias, was elected president in 1999. Martin Torrijos Espino, who had lost to Moscoso in 1999, was elected president in 2004. He is the son of Gen. Omar Torrijos. In 2006 Panamanian voters approved an expansion of the Panama Canal that would add an third, larger set of locks to the existing canal; construction is planned for 2008–14. The presidential election in May, 2009, was won by Ricardo Martinelli, one of Panama's wealthiest persons; a pro-business conservative, he was the candidate of the multiparty Alliance for Change.

Panama in 2007

Panama Area: 75,040 sq km (28,973 sq mi) Population (2007 est.): 3,343,000 Capital: Panama City Head of state and government: President Martín Torrijos In June 2007 Panama’s free-trade agreement ...>>>Read On<<<

Disclaimer

This is not the official site of this country. Most of the information in this site were taken from the U.S. Department of State, The Central Intelligence Agency, The United Nations, [1],[2], [3], [4], [5],[6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14],[15], [16], [17], [18], [19], [20], [21], [22], [23], [24],[25], [26], [27], [28], [29], [30],[31], [32], [33], [34], and the [35].

Other sources of information will be mentioned as they are posted.