Countries
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Disputes - international: organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia operate within the remote border region with Panama
Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 15,432 (Colombia)
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
Military branches: no regular military forces; Panamanian public forces include: Panamanian National Police (PNP), National Air-Naval Service (SENAN), National Border Service (SENAFRONT)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 890,006
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 731,254
females age 16-49: 728,329
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 32,142
female: 30,879
Military expenditures:
1% of GDP
country comparison to the world: 128
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"
Airports: 118
country comparison to the world: 48
Heliports: 3
Pipelines: oil 128 km
Railways: total: 76 km
country comparison to the world: 127
Roadways: total: 11,978 km
country comparison to the world: 130
Waterways: 800 km (includes the 82-km Panama Canal that is being widened)
country comparison to the world: 73
Merchant marine: total: 6,413
country comparison to the world: 1
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: 5,162 (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, Germany 24, Gibraltar 1, Greece 379, Hong Kong 144, India 24, Indonesia 10, Iran 5, Ireland 1, Israel 1, Italy 25, Japan 2372, Jordan 11, Kuwait 12, Lebanon 2, Lithuania 3, Luxembourg 1, Malaysia 12, Maldives 2, Malta 2, Mexico 5, Monaco 11, Netherlands 6, Nigeria 6, Norway 81, Oman 10, Pakistan 3, Peru 9, Philippines 5, Portugal 10, Qatar 1, Romania 3, Russia 49, Saudi Arabia 11, Singapore 92, South Korea 373, Spain 30, Sweden 2, Switzerland 15, Syria 34, Taiwan 328, Tanzania 2, Thailand 6, Turkey 62, UAE 83, UK 37, UK 5, Ukraine 8, US 90, Venezuela 13, Vietnam 43, Yemen 4)
registered in other countries: 1 (Honduras 1)
Ports and terminals: Balboa, Colon, Cristobal
Telephones - main lines in use: 553,100
country comparison to the world: 94
Telephones - mobile cellular: 6.496 million
country comparison to the world: 93
Telephone system: general assessment: domestic and international facilities well developed
domestic: mobile-cellular telephone subscribership has increased rapidly
Broadcast media: 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
Internet country code: .pa
Internet hosts: 10,984
country comparison to the world: 132
Internet users: 959,800
country comparison to the world: 104
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 Zone, insurance, container ports, flagship registry, and tourism. Economic growth will be bolstered by the Panama Canal expansion project that began in 2007 and is scheduled to be completed by 2014 at a cost of $5.3 billion - about 10% of current GDP. The expansion project will more than double the Canal''s capacity, enabling it to accommodate ships that are too large to traverse the existing canal. The United States and China are the top users of the Canal. Panama also plans to construct a metro system in Panama City, valued at $1.2 billion and scheduled to be completed by 2014. Panama''s booming transportation and logistics services sectors, along with aggressive infrastructure development projects, have lead the economy to continued growth in 2011. Strong economic performance has not translated into broadly shared prosperity, as Panama has the second worst income distribution in Latin America. About 30% of the population lives in poverty; however, from 2006 to 2010 poverty was reduced by 10 percentage points, while unemployment dropped from 12% to less than 3% of the labor force in 2011. A US-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement was approved by Congress and signed into law in October 2011. Seeking removal from the Organization of Economic Development''s gray-list of tax havens, Panama has also recently signed various double taxation treaties with other nations.
Government type: constitutional democracy
Administrative divisions: 9 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, Veraguas
Legal system: civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Justice
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Ethnic groups: mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 70%, Amerindian and mixed (West Indian) 14%, white 10%, Amerindian 6%
Languages: Spanish (official), English 14%
note: many Panamanians are bilingual
Religions: Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 15%
Population: 3,510,045
country comparison to the world: 132
Median age: total: 27.8 years
male: 27.4 years
female: 28.2 years
Population growth rate: 1.41%
country comparison to the world: 86
Net migration rate: -0.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population
country comparison to the world: 135
Urbanization: urban population: 75% of total population
rate of urbanization: 2.3% annual rate of change
Major cities - population: PANAMA CITY (capital) 1.346 million
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.96 years
country comparison to the world: 56
male: 75.18 years
female: 80.86 years
Total fertility rate: 2.43 children born/woman
country comparison to the world: 84
Health expenditures: 8.3% of GDP
country comparison to the world: 48
Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: intermediate
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea
vectorborne disease: dengue fever and malaria
Education expenditures: 3.8% of GDP
country comparison to the world: 110
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 91.9%
male: 92.5%
female: 91.2%
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 13 years
male: 13 years
female: 14 years (2008)
Unemployment, youth ages 15-24:
total: 14.9%
country comparison to the world: 75
male: 11.7%
female: 21.1%
Location: Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica
Land boundaries: total: 555 km
border countries: Colombia 225 km, Costa Rica 330 km
Coastline: 2,490 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm or edge of continental margin
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
Natural resources: copper, mahogany forests, shrimp, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 7.26%, permanent crops: 1.95%, other: 90.79%
Natural hazards: 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, 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
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
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. In October 2006, Panamanians approved an ambitious plan (estimated to cost $5.3 billion) to expand the Canal. The project, which began in 2007 and could double the Canal's capacity, is expected to be completed in 2014-15.
Panama
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