Full country name: Republic of Panama (Republica de Panamà)

Motto:    Pro Mundi Beneficio (For the benefit of the world)

Population:   3,191,319 (July 2006 est.)

Languages: Spanish is the official language, though many Panamanians are bilingual. English 14%

Government Type:  Constitutional democracy

Currency: balboa (PAB); US dollar (USD)

Location:   Panama straddles the lowest and narrowest part of the Isthmus of Panama that connects North and South America . It is, in fact, the geographical centre of the American continent.  The Darien Gap, a nearly impenetrable jungle, forms a natural barrier between Panama and Colombia .  Situated between Costa Rica to the west and Columbia to the east, its s-shaped contour leads to some surprises in terms of the compass.  Its coastlines are the Caribbean Sea to the south and the Pacific Ocean to the north.   Panama ’s map coordinates are between 7° and 10° north latitude and 77° and 83° west longitude.

Biodiversity: As link of the two Americas , Panama enjoys astounding biodiversity with more than 10,000 varieties of plants and more than 1,000 species of birds.

Size:   At approximately 76,000 square kilometers, Panama is slightly smaller than South Carolina .  It is 772 kilometers long, and is between 60 and 177 kilometers wide.

Capital:  Panama City , the largest city, in the Republic of Panama has the distinction of being the only major Latin American city with a rainforest minutes from downtown.

Climate:    Panama is outside of “hurricane alley” (no destructive earthquakes to worry about either).  The country enjoys a delightful tropical climate with an average temperature of 27°C (80°F).  Temperature and humidity are relatively high though the temperature seldom exceeds 32°C for long.  Nights are fresh as breezes rise at dusk in much of the country.  There is a slight variation between the Pacific side and the Caribbean , with the Pacific side being somewhat lower in temperature. The higher regions of the mountains are cooler.  The Cordillera de Talamanca in western Panama experiences frost.   Panama has two seasons with no marked changes in temperature: a longer Rainy Season and a short Dry Season.  The Dry Season, summer, lasts roughly from mid-December to the end of April, give or take a few weeks on either side.  Trade winds blow during this season and the relative humidity may drop to average values of 70%.  The change between seasons is often dramatic and sudden.  During the Wet Season the relative humidity might remain around 90 to 100% with the temperatures slightly cooler.  Rainfall tends to be higher on the Caribbean side.

History:   Panama ’s strategic location as a narrow isthmus between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea has shaped its history.  Rodrigo de Bastidas, a captain who accompanied Columbus on his second voyage to America , discovered the Isthmus of Panama in 1501. Over 60 Indian tribes lived in Panama , including Mayas of Guatemala and Mexico and Chibchas of Colombia.  Spanish weaponry and diseases dissimated the populations of the Cuevas and Cocole tribes. Spain quickly realized the geographical advantages the area offered and Panama City was established in 1519.   Panama became central to Spanish exploration and expansion and Peru ’s and Chile ’s conquest was organized there. Panama City prospered as Peru was plundered.  Caravans moved Peruvian gold across the isthmus where galleons waited to take it to Spain .  In 1880 Colombia signed a treaty with France for a canal to be built across the narrow isthmus.  As they excavated the canal, in a five-year period the French suffered huge losses of men and finances to yellow fever, malaria and unanticipated conditions of weather and geography.  After the work came to a standstill in 1887, one of the French investors negotiated a deal with the U.S. to carry building the Canal.   Colombia refused to ratify in Bogotá the Hay-Herrán Treaty of January 22, 1903, which consented to the project in the form of a 100-year lease on an area 10 kilometres wide.  In response, the U.S. , with Theodore Roosevelt at the helm, supported Panama ’s independence movement.  The U.S military was present when Panama declared its independence in November 1903.  That December, the U.S. was granted rights to build and administer the Panama Canal under the Hay-Bunau Varilla Treaty.  This treaty eventually became a contentious issue between the two countries leading to the Torrijos-Carter Treaties in 1977.   Under that treaty, the Canal and the Canal Zone were handed back to Panama on December 31, 1999.  In the interest of national security, the U.S. retains the right to military intervention.

Holidays:
January 1                     New Year’s
January 9                     Martyr’s Day (impasse with U.S. over Panama Canal, the 1964 riots)
Moving Date                Tuesday Carnival
Moving Date                Good Friday
May 1                         Labour Day
November 3                Independence Day (from Columbia, 1903)
November 4                Flay Day
November 10              First Call for Independence from Spain
November 28              Emancipation (from Spain, 1821)
December 8                 Mother’s Day
December 25               Christmas

Age structure:   0-14 years: 30.3% (male 492,403/female 472,996)
15-64 years: 63.4% (male 1,025,898/female 998,926)
65 years and over: 6.3% (male 94,122/female 106,974) (2006 est.)

Median age: total: 25.9 years male: 25.6 years female: 26.2 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.6% (2006 est.)

Median Age:   total: 26.1 years
male: 25.8 years
female: 26.5 years (2006 est.)

Birth rate: 21.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate: 5.36 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 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: 0.88 male(s)/female; total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate: total: 16.37 deaths/1,000 live births; male: 17.75 deaths   /1,000 live births; female: 14.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.22 years; male: 72.68 years; female: 77.87 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.68 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Ethnic groups: mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 70%, Amerindian and mixed (West Indian) 14%, white 10%, Amerindian 6%

Religions: At almost 80%, the majority of Panamanians are Roman Catholic though Panama declares no official religion. The next major faith group is Protestant, with estimates as high as 14%. Islam, the Bahá`í Faith, Buddhism, Judaism and Hinduism Muslims make up the rest