rolonged 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 Baru 3,475 m

Natural resources:

copper, mahogany forests, shrimp, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 7.26%
permanent crops: 1.95%
other: 90.79% (2005)

Irrigated land:

430 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

148 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.82 cu km/yr (67%/5%/28%)
per capita: 254 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

occasional severe storms and forest fires in the Darien area

Environment - current issues:

water pollution from agricultural runoff threatens fishery
resources; deforestation of tropical rain forest; land degradation
and soil erosion threatens siltation of Panama Canal; air pollution
in urban areas; mining threatens natural resources

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Geography - 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
Panama

Population:

3,309,679 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 29.6% (male 499,254/female 479,242)
15-64 years: 63.8% (male 1,066,915/female 1,043,499)
65 years and over: 6.7% (male 102,937/female 117,832) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 26.7 years
male: 26.3 years
female: 27.1 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.544% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

20.68 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

4.71 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 13.4