PANAMA                                                                          
GEOGRAPHY                                                                       
Total area: 78,200 km2; land area: 75,990 km2                                   
                                                                                
Comparative area: slightly smaller than South Carolina                          
                                                                                
Land boundaries: 555 km total; Colombia 225 km, Costa Rica 330 km               
                                                                                
Coastline: 2,490 km                                                             
                                                                                
Maritime claims:                                                                
                                                                                
Territorial sea: 200 nm                                                         
                                                                                
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%; includes irrigated NEGL%               
                                                                                
Environment: dense tropical forest in east and northwest                        
                                                                                
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: 2,476,281 (July 1991), growth rate 2.1% (1991)                      
                                                                                
Birth rate: 26 births/1,000 population (1991)                                   
                                                                                
Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)                                    
                                                                                
Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1991)                       
Infant mortality rate: 21 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)                       
                                                                                
Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 76 years female (1991)                 
                                                                                
Total fertility rate: 3.0 children born/woman (1991)                            
                                                                                
Nationality: noun--Panamanian(s); adjective--Panamanian                         
                                                                                
Ethnic divisions: mestizo (mixed Indian and European ancestry) 70%,             
West Indian 14%, white 10%, Indian 6%                                           
                                                                                
Religion: Roman Catholic over 93%, Protestant 6%                                
                                                                                
Language: Spanish (official); English as native tongue 14%;                     
many Panamanians bilingual                                                      
                                                                                
Literacy: 88% (male 88%, female 88%) age 15 and over can                        
read and write (1990 est.)                                                      
                                                                                
Labor force: 770,472 (1987); government and community services                  
27.9%; agriculture, hunting, and fishing 26.2%; commerce, restaurants,          
and hotels 16%; manufacturing and mining 10.5%; construction 5.3%;              
transportation and communications 5.3%; finance, insurance, and real            
estate 4.2%; Canal Zone 2.4%; shortage of skilled labor, but an                 
oversupply of unskilled labor                                                   
                                                                                
Organized labor: 17% of labor force (1986)                                      
                                                                                
GOVERNMENT                                                                      
Long-form name: Republic of Panama                                              
                                                                                
Type: centralized republic                                                      
                                                                                
Capital: Panama                                                                 
                                                                                
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)                                                    
                                                                                
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                                             
                                                                                
National holiday: Independence Day, 3 November (1903)                           
                                                                                
Executive branch: president, two vice presidents, Cabinet                       
                                                                                
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly (Asamblea                   
Legislativa)                                                                    
                                                                                
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema                        
de Justicia) currently being reorganized                                        
                                                                                
Leaders:                                                                        
                                                                                
Chief of State and Head of Government--President Guillermo ENDARA               
(since 20 December 1989, elected 7 May 1989);                                   
First Vice President Ricardo ARIAS Calderon (since 20 December 1989,            
elected 7 May 1989);                                                            
Second Vice President Guillermo FORD (since 20 December 1989,                   
elected 7 May 1989)                                                             
                                                                                
Political parties and leaders:                                                  
                                                                                
government alliance--Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement                    
(MOLIRENA), Alfredo RAMIREZ;                                                    
Authentic Liberal Party (PLA);                                                  
Arnulfista Party (PA), Francisco ARTOLA;                                        
                                                                                
opposition parties--Christian Democratic Party (PDC),                           
Ricardo ARIAS Calderon;                                                         
Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD, ex-official government party),             
Gerardo GONZALEZ;                                                               
Agrarian Labor Party (PALA), Carlos ELETA Almaran;                              
Liberal Party (PL);                                                             
People's Party (PdP, Soviet-oriented Communist party), Ruben DARIO              
Sousa Batista;                                                                  
Democratic Workers Party (PDT, leftist), Eduardo RIOS;                          
National Action Party (PAN, rightist);                                          
Popular Action Party (PAPO), Carlos Ivan ZUNIGA;                                
Socialist Workers Party (PST, leftist), Jose CAMBRA;                            
Revolutionary Workers Party (PRT, leftist), Graciela DIXON                      
                                                                                
Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18                                    
                                                                                
Elections:                                                                      
                                                                                
President--last held on 7 May 1989, annulled but later upheld                   
(next to be held May 1994);                                                     
results--anti-NORIEGA coalition believed to have won about 75% of the           
total votes cast;                                                               
                                                                                
Legislative Assembly--last held on 27 January 1991 (next to                     
be held May 1994);                                                              
results--percent of vote by party NA;                                           
seats--(67 total) progovernment parties--PDC 28, MOLIRENA 16,                   
PA 6, PLA 5;                                                                    
                                                                                
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                      
                                                                                
Communists: People's Party (PdP), pro-Soviet mainline Communist                 
party, did not obtain the necessary 3% of the total vote in the                 
1984 election to retain its legal status; about 3,000 members                   
                                                                                
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; National Committee for the Right to Life                               
                                                                                
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: Ambassador Jaime FORD;                               
Chancery at 2862 McGill Terrace NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone              
(202) 483-1407; the status of the Consulates General and Consulates has         
not yet been determined;                                                        
                                                                                
US--Ambassador Deane R. HINTON; Embassy at Avenida Balboa and                   
Calle 38, Apartado 6959, Panama City 5 (mailing address is Box E,               
APO Miami 34002); telephone  507  27-1777                                       
                                                                                
Flag: divided into four, equal rectangles; the top quadrants are                
white with a blue five-pointed star in the center (hoist side) 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 an estimated 5% in 1990, after                        
contracting 1% in 1988 and 14% in 1989. Political stability prompted            
greater business confidence and consumer demand, leading to increased           
production by the agricultural, commercial, manufacturing, construction,        
and utilities sectors. The transportation sector and government services        
declined slightly due to slack early-1990 transits through the Panama           
Canal, lower oil pipeline flowthrough, and Panama City's budget cuts.           
Imports and exports posted gains during the year, and government revenues       
were up sharply over 1989's levels.                                             
                                                                                
GDP: $4.8 billion, per capita $1,980; real growth rate 5%                       
(1990 est.)                                                                     
                                                                                
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.3% (1990 est.)                              
                                                                                
Unemployment rate: 20% (1990)                                                   
                                                                                
Budget: revenues $1.7 billion; expenditures $1.8 billion,                       
including capital expenditures of $70 million (1990 est.)                       
                                                                                
Exports: $355 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);                                      
                                                                                
commodities--bananas 27%, shrimp 21%, clothing 6%, coffee 4%,                   
sugar 4%;                                                                       
                                                                                
partners--US 90%, Central America and Caribbean, EC (1989 est.)                 
                                                                                
Imports: $1,250 million (f.o.b., 1990);                                         
                                                                                
commodities--foodstuffs 13%, capital goods 12%, crude oil 12%,                  
consumer goods, chemicals;                                                      
                                                                                
partners--US 35%, Central America and Caribbean, EC,                            
Mexico, Venezuela (1989 est.)                                                   
                                                                                
External debt: $5 billion (December 1990 est.)                                  
                                                                                
Industrial production: growth rate 4.8% (1990 est.)                             
                                                                                
Electricity: 1,113,000 kW capacity; 3,264 million kWh produced,                 
1,350 kWh per capita (1990)                                                     
Industries: manufacturing and construction activities, petroleum                
refining, brewing, cement and other construction material, sugar mills,         
paper products                                                                  
                                                                                
Agriculture: accounts for 12% of GDP (1990 est.), 25% of labor                  
force (1989); crops--bananas, rice, corn, coffee, sugarcane; livestock;         
fishing; importer of food grain, vegetables, milk products                      
                                                                                
Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $516                   
million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments          
(1970-88), $575 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $4 million              
                                                                                
Currency: balboa (plural--balboas); 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: 8,530 km total; 2,745 km paved, 3,270 km gravel or                    
crushed stone, 2,515 km improved and unimproved earth                           
                                                                                
Inland waterways: 800 km navigable by shallow draft vessels; 82 km              
Panama Canal                                                                    
                                                                                
Pipelines: crude oil, 130 km                                                    
                                                                                
Ports: Cristobal, Balboa, Puerto de La Bahia de Las Minas                       
                                                                                
Merchant marine: 2,932 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling                       
41,314,623 GRT/66,226,104 DWT; includes 22 passenger, 22 short-sea              
passenger, 5 passenger-cargo, 1,060 cargo, 188 refrigerated cargo,              
165 container, 62 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 105 vehicle carrier,                  
8 livestock carrier, 5 multifunction large-load carrier,                        
301 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 175 chemical tanker,          
27 combination ore/oil, 91 liquefied gas, 8 specialized tanker, 651 bulk,       
37 combination bulk; note--all but 5 are foreign owned and operated;            
the top 4 foreign owners are Japan 36%, Greece 9%, Hong Kong 9%, and the        
US 8%; (China owns at least 127 ships, Vietnam 10, Yugoslavia 10, Cuba 5,       
Cyprus 3, and USSR 2)                                                           
                                                                                
Civil air: 16 major transport aircraft                                          
                                                                                
Airports: 113 total, 101 usable; 41 with permanent-surface runways;             
none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;                   
15 with runways 1,220-2,439 m                                                   
                                                                                
Telecommunications: domestic and international facilities well                  
developed; connection into Central American Microwave System; 2 Atlantic        
Ocean satellite antennas; 220,000 telephones; stations--91 AM, no FM,           
23 TV; 1 coaxial submarine cable                                                
                                                                                
DEFENSE FORCES                                                                  
Branches: note--the Panamanian Defense Forces (PDF) ceased to exist             
as a military institution shortly after the United States invaded Panama        
on 20 December 1989; President Endara is attempting to restructure the          
forces into a civilian police service under the new name of Panamanian          
Public Forces (PPF); a Council of Public Security and National Defense          
under Menalco Solis in the office of the president coordinates the              
activities of the security forces; the Institutional Protection Service         
under Carlos Bares is attached to the presidency                                
                                                                                
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 644,895; 444,522 fit for                    
military service; no conscription                                               
                                                                                
Defense expenditures: $75.5 million, 1.5% of GDP (1990)                         
                                                                                
