t.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Palmyra Atoll Military

Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US

Palmyra Atoll Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: none

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@Panama

Panama Introduction

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.

Panama Geography

Location: Middle America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the
North Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica

Geographic coordinates: 9 00 N, 80 00 W

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area: total: 78,200 sq km

land: 75,990 sq km

water: 2,210 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than South Carolina

Land boundaries: total: 555 km

border countries: Colombia 225 km, Costa Rica 330 km

Coastline: 2,490 km

Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM

exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

territorial sea: 12 NM

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

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Volcan de Chiriqui 3,475 m

Natural resources: copper, mahogany forests, shrimp, hydropower

Land use: arable land: 7%

permanent crops: 2%

permanent pastures: 20%

forests and woodland: 44%

other: 27% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 320 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: NA

Environment - current issues: water pollution from agricultural
runoff threatens fishery resources;