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:
3,309,679 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 29.6% (male 499,254/female 479,242) 15-64 years: 63.8% (male 1,066,915/female 1,043,499) 65 years and over: 6.7% (male 102,937/female 117,832) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 26.7 years male: 26.3 years female: 27.1 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate: