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:
total:
1
usable:
1
with permanent-surface runways:
1
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
0
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
1
*Palmyra Atoll, Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of the US
*Panama, Geography
Location:
extreme southern Central America, between Colombia and Costa Rica
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean, South America, Standard Time Zones of the
World
Area:
total area:
78,200 km2
land area:
75,990 km2
comparative area:
slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land boundaries:
total 555 km, Colombia 225 km, Costa Rica 330 km
Coastline:
2,490 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea:
200 nm
International 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%
Irrigated land:
320 km2 (1989 est.)
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:
2,579,047 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.98% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
25.08 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
4.94 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
17.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
74.56 years
male:
71.99 years
female:
77.27 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.9 children born/woman (1993 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 (official), English 14% note:
many Panamanians bilingual
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
total population:
88%
male:
88%
female:
88%
Labor force:
921,000 (1992 est.)
by occupation:
government and community services 31.8%, agriculture, hunting, and fishing
26.8%, commerce, restaurants, and hotels 16.4%, manufacturing and mining
9.4%, construction 3.2%, transportation and communications 6.2%, finance,
insurance, and real estate 4.3%
note:
shortage of skilled labor, but an oversupply of unskilled labor
*Panama, Government