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

Irrigated land:
430 sq km (2003)

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:
3,191,319 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 30.3% (male 492,403/female 472,996)
15-64 years: 63.4% (male 1,025,898/female 998,926)
65 years and over: 6.3% (male 94,122/female 106,974) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 26.1 years
male: 25.8 years
female: 26.5 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.6% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
21.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
5.36 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
-0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 16.37 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 17.75 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 14.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.22 years
male: 72.68 years
female: 77.87 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
2.68 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.9% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
16,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 500 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Panamanian(s)
adjective: Panamanian

Ethnic groups:
mestizo (mixed Amerindi