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@Panama
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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:
territorial sea: 200 nm

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

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

Natural resources: copper, mahogany forests, shrimp

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; deforestation of tropical rain
forest; land degradation

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, 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

Population: 2,778,526 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 32% (male 446,792; female 429,811)
15-64 years: 63% (male 882,541; female 859,455)
65 years and over: 5% (male 76,648; female 83,279) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.53% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 21.69 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 5.14 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999