:Palmyra Atoll Economy
Overview: no economic activity
:Palmyra Atoll Communications
Ports:
the main harbor is West Lagoon, which is entered by a channel on the
southwest side of the atoll; both the channel and harbor will accommodate
vessels drawing 4 meters of water; much of the road and many causeways built
during the war are unserviceable and overgrown
Airports:
1 with permanent-surface runway 1,220-2,439 m
:Palmyra Atoll Defense Forces
Branches:
Note:
defense is the responsibility of the US
:Panama Geography
Total area:
78,200 km2
Land area:
75,990 km2
Comparative area:
slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land boundaries:
555 km total; Colombia 225 km, Costa Rica 330 km
Coastline:
2,490 km
Maritime claims:
Territorial sea:
200 nm
Disputes:
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
Natural resources:
copper, mahogany forests, shrimp
Land use:
arable land 6%; permanent crops 2%; meadows and pastures 15%; forest and
woodland 54%; other 23%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Environment:
dense tropical forest in east and northwest
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
:Panama People
Population:
2,529,902 (July 1992), growth rate 2.0% (1992)
Birth rate:
25 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
5 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
17 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
73 years male, 77 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
3.0 children born/woman (1992)
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 over 93%, Protestant 6%
Languages:
Spanish (official); English as native tongue 14%; many Panamanians bilingual
Literacy:
88% (male 88%, female 88%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Labor force:
770,472 (1987); government and community services 27.9%; agriculture,
hunting, and fishing 26.2%; commerce, restaurants, and hotels 16%;
manufacturing and mining 10.5%; construction 5.3%; transportation and
communications 5.3%; finance, insurance, and real estate 4.2%; Canal Zone
2.4%; shortage of skilled labor, but an oversupply of unskilled labor
Organized labor:
17% of labor force (1986)