Panama




                                 Geography


Location:
     Middle America, between Colombia and Costa Rica
Map references:
     Central America and the Caribbean, South America, Standard Time Zones
     of the World
Area:
total area:
     78,200 sq km
land area:
     75,990 sq km
comparative area:
     slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land boundaries:
     total 555 km, Colombia 225 km, Costa Rica 330 km
Coastline:
     2,490 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea:
     200 nm
International disputes:
     none
Climate:
     tropical; 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
Land use:
arable land:
     6%
permanent crops:
     2%
meadows and pastures:
     15%
forest and woodland:
     54%
other:
     23%
Irrigated land:
     320 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
     water pollution from agricultural runoff threatens fishery resources;
     deforestation of tropical rain forest; land degradation
natural hazards:
     NA




international agreements:
     party to - Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping,
     Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical
     Timber, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate
     Change, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
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


                                  People


Population:
     2.63 million (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
     1.94% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     24.61 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     4.87 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     -0.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     16.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     74.88 years
male:
     72.28 years
female:
     77.62 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     2.85 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     Panamanian(s)
adjective:
     Panamanian
Ethnic divisions:
     mestizo (mixed Indian and European ancestry) 70%, West Indian 14%,
     white 10%, Indian 6%
Religions:
     Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 15%
Languages:
     Spanish (official), English 14%
note:
     many Panamanians bilingual
Literacy:
     age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
     88%
male:
     88%
female:
     88%




Labor force:
     921,000 (1992 est.)
by occupation:
     government and community services 31.8%, agriculture, hunting, and
     fishing 26.8%, commerce, restaurants, and hotels 16.4%, manufacturing
     and mining 9.4%, construction 3.2%, transportation and communications
     6.2%, finance, insurance, and real estate 4.3%
note:
     shortage of skilled labor, but an oversupply of unskilled labor


                                Government


Names:
conventional long form:
     Republic of Panama
conventional short form:
local long form:
     Republica de Panama
local short form:
Digraph:
     PM
Type:
     constitutional  republic
Capital:
Administrative divisions:
     9 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 territory*
     (comarca); Bocas del Toro, Chiriqui, Cocle, Colon, Darien, Herrera,
     Los Santos, Panama, San Blas*, 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 April 1983
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 and head of government:
     President Guillermo ENDARA (since 20 December 1989, elected 7 May
     1989); First Vice President Guillermo FORD Boyd (since 24 December
     1992); Second Vice President (vacant); election last held on 7 May
     1989, annulled but later upheld; results - anti-NORIEGA coalition
     believed to have won about 75% of the total votes cast




note:
     a presidential election was held 8 May 1994 (next election to held on
     9 May 1999) with inauguration of the successful candidates to take
     place on 1 September 1994; results - President Ernesto PEREZ
     BALLADARES Gonzales, First Vice President Tomas Altamirano DUQUE, and
     Second Vice President Felipe VIRZI were elected; percent of vote for
     president - BALLADARES 33%, DE GRUBER 29%, BLADES 17%
cabinet:
     Cabinet; appointed by the president
Legislative branch:
     unicameral
National Assembly (Asamblea Nacional):
     elections held on 27 January 1991; results - percent of vote by party
     NA; seats - (67 total)
progovernment parties:
     PDC 28, MOLIRENA 15, PA 8, PLA 4
opposition parties:
     PRD 10, PALA 1, PL 1; note - the PDC went into opposition after
     President Guillermo ENDARA ousted the PDC from the coalition
     government in April 1991; an election of members of the National
     Assembly was held on 8 May 1994 (next election to be held on 9 May
     1999) and they will take their seats on 1 September 1994; results -
     percent of vote and seats won by party NA
Judicial branch:
     Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia), 5 superior
     courts, 3 courts of appeal
Political parties and leaders:
government alliance:
     Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement (MOLIRENA), Alfredo RAMIREZ;
     Authentic Liberal Party (PLA), Arnulfo ESCALONA; Arnulfista Party
     (PA), Mireya MOSCOSO DE GRUBER
other parties:
     Christian Democratic Party (PDC), Raul OSSA; Democratic Revolutionary
     Party (PRD), Gerardo GONZALEZ; Agrarian Labor Party (PALA), Nestor
     Tomas GUERRA; Liberal Party (PL), Roberto ALEMAN Zubieta; Doctrinaire
     Panamenista Party (PPD), Jose Salvador MUNOZ; Papa Egoro Movement,
     Ruben BLADES; Civic Renewal Party (PRC), Tomas HERRERA; National
     Integration Movement (MINA), Arrigo GUARDIA; National Unity Mission
     Party (MUN), Jose Manuel PAREDES; Solidarity Party (CPS), Samuel LEWIS
     GALINDO
note:
     following the elections of 8 May 1994 the following realignment of
     political parties took place
governing coalition:
     Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), Gerardo GONZALEZ; Liberal
     Republican Party (PLR), Rodolfo CHIARI; Labor Party (PALA), Carlos
     Lopez GUEVARA; Solidarity Party (PS),Samuel LEWIS GALINDO
other parties:
     Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement (MOLIRENA), Alfredo RAMIREZ;
     Authentic Liberal Party (PLA), Arnulfo ESCOLONA; Arnulfista Party
     (PA), Mireya Moscoso DE GRUBER; Christian Democratic Party (PDC), Raul
     OSSA; Liberal Party (PL), Roberto ALEMAN Zubieta; Papa Egoro Movement,
     Ruben BLADES; Civic Renewal Party (PRC), Tomas HERRERA; National Unity
     Mission Party (MUN), Jose Manuel PAREDES




Other political or pressure groups:
     National Council of Organized Workers (CONATO); National Council of
     Private Enterprise (CONEP); Panamanian Association of Business
     Executives (APEDE); National Civic Crusade; Chamber of Commerce;
     Panamanian Industrialists Society (SIP); Workers Confederation of the
     Republic of Panama (CTRP)
Member of:
     AG (associate), CG, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,
     IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM,
     ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD,
     UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Jaime FORD Boyd (to be replaced by Ambassador Ricardo
     Alberto ARIAS on 1 September 1994)
chancery:
     2862 McGill Terrace NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
     (202) 483-1407
consulate(s) general:
     Atlanta, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San
     Juan (Puerto Rico), Tampa,
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
     (vacant)
embassy:
     Avenida Balboa and Calle 38, Apartado 6959, Panama City 5
mailing address:
     American Embassy Panama, Unit 0945; APO AA 34002
telephone:
     (507) 27-1777
FAX:
     (507) 27-1964
Flag:
     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


                                  Economy


Overview:
     GDP expanded by roughly 5.9% in 1993, following growth of 8% in 1992;
     banking and financial services led the way in 1993. The economy thus
     continues to recover from the crisis that preceded the ouster of
     Manuel NORIEGA, even though the government's structural adjustment
     program has been hampered by a lack of popular support and a passive
     administration. Public investment has been limited as the
     administration has kept the fiscal deficit below 2% of GDP.
     Unemployment and economic reform are the two major issues the new
     government must face in 1994-95.
National product:
     GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $11.6 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
     5.9% (1993 est.)




National product per capita:
     $4,500 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     1% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
     12.5% (1993 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
     $1.8 billion
expenditures:
     $1.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $200 million (1992
     est.)
Exports:
     $545 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
     bananas 43%, shrimp 11%, sugar 4%, clothing 5%, coffee 2%
partners:
     US 38%, EC, Central America and Caribbean
Imports:
     $2.5 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
     capital goods 21%, crude oil 11%, foodstuffs 9%, consumer goods,
     chemicals
partners:
     US 35%, EC, Central America and Caribbean, Japan
External debt:
     $6.1 billion (year-end 1993 est.)
Industrial production:
     growth rate 7% (1993 est.); accounts for about 9% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
     1,584,000 kW
production:
     4.36 trillion kWh
consumption per capita:
     720 kWh (1992)
Industries:
     manufacturing and construction activities, petroleum refining,
     brewing, cement and other construction material, sugar milling
Agriculture:
     accounts for 10% of GDP (1992 est.), 27% of labor force (1992); crops
     - bananas, rice, corn, coffee, sugarcane; livestock; fishing; importer
     of food grain, vegetables
Illicit drugs:
     major cocaine transshipment point and drug money laundering center
Economic aid:
recipient:
     US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $516 million; Western
     (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $582
     million; Communist countries (1970-89), $4 million
Currency:
     1 balboa (B) = 100 centesimos
Exchange rates:
     balboas (B) per US$1 - 1.000 (fixed rate)




Fiscal year:
     calendar year


                              Communications


Railroads:
     238 km total; 78 km 1.524-meter gauge, 160 km 0.914-meter gauge
Highways:
total:
     8,530 km
paved:
     2,745 km
unpaved:
     gravel, crushed stone 3,270 km; improved, unimproved earth 2,515 km
Inland waterways:
     800 km navigable by shallow draft vessels; 82 km Panama Canal
Pipelines:
     crude oil 130 km
Ports:
     Cristobal, Balboa, Colon
Merchant marine:
     3,405 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 56,011,824 GRT/89,516,566
     DWT, barge carrier 1, bulk 717, cargo 1,110, chemical tanker 181,
     combination bulk 31, combination ore/oil 24, container 215, liquefied
     gas 127, livestock carrier 9, multifunction large-load carrier 5, oil
     tanker 437, passenger 22, passenger-cargo 3, refrigerated cargo 287,
     roll-on/roll-off cargo 67, short-sea passenger 30, specialized tanker
     10, vehicle carrier 129
note:
     all but 30 are foreign owned and operated; the top 4 foreign owners
     are Japan 34%, Greece 8%, Hong Kong 7%, and Taiwan 5%; other foreign
     owners include China at least 144 ships, Vietnam 3, Croatia 6, Cuba 4,
     Cyprus 4, and Russia 41
Airports:
total:
     118
usable:
     109
with permanent-surface runways:
     38
with runways over 3,659 m:
     0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     2
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
     15
Telecommunications:
     domestic and international facilities well developed; connection into
     Central American Microwave System; 220,000 telephones; broadcast
     stations - 91 AM, no FM, 23 TV; 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite
     ground stations - 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT


                              Defense Forces




Branches:
     Panamanian Public Forces (PPF) includes the National Police, Maritime
     Service, National Air Service, Institutional Protective Service;
     Judicial Technical Police operate under the control of Panama's
     judicial branch
Manpower availability:
     males age 15-49 686,479; fit for military service 471,780
Defense expenditures:
     expenditures for the Panamanian security forces amounted to $138.5
     million, 1.0% of GDP (1993 est.)