Independence Year : 1903
Population : 2856000
Life Expectancy : 75.5
Capital : 2882
GNP : 9131.00
GNP Old : 8700.00
Local Name : Panamá
Government Form : Republic
Location : Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica. Panama occupies the southeastern end of the isthmus forming the land bridge between North and South America.
Terrain : Mountainous (highest elevation Cerro Volcan, 3,475 m.--11,468 ft.), upland plains; coastal areas.
Climate : tropical maritime; hot, humid, cloudy; prolonged rainy season, short dry season (January to May)
Ethnic Group : Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European ancestry) 70%, Amerindian and mixed (West Indian) 14%, Caucasian 10%, Amerindian 6%.
Religions : Roman Catholic 84%, Protestant 15%, other.
Official Website :
www.pa
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General Information - Panama
Background
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.
On 7 September 1977, an agreement was signed for the complete transfer of the Canal from the US to Panama by the end of 1999. Certain portions of the Zone and increasing responsibility over the Canal were turned over in the intervening years. 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 turned over to Panama by or on 31 December 1999.
(Source: CIA - The World Factbook)
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