tes: 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
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Volcan de Chiriqui 3,475 m

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 - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test
Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,
Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Law of the
Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Tropical Timber 94

Geographic 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
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Population: 2,655,094 (July 1996 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 33% (male 445,382; female 426,111)
15-64 years: 62% (male 828,384; female 806,205)
65 years and over: 5% (male 71,823; female 77,189) (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.64% (1996 est.)

Birth rate: 23.2 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate: 5.42 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.03 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 29.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.92 years
male: 71.19 years
female: 76.75 years (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.71 children born/woman (1996 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 (off