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:
3,039,150 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 29.8% (male 460,840/female 443,359)
15-64 years: 63.9% (male 984,558/female 956,748)
65 years and over: 6.4% (male 91,383/female 102,262) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 26.18 years
male: 25.89 years
female: 26.48 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.26% (2005 est.)

Birth rate:
19.96 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate:
6.54 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate:
-0.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 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: 0.89 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2005 est.)