Panama

centralized republicIndependence 3 November 1903 (from Colombia

Panama as the 1990 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 70 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalPanama
Area78,200 km2
1990

Every edition of Panama

Populationas each edition published it
2.43 million July 1990 · 4.54m in 2025
Population growth% a year
Not in this edition 1.98% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 25.6 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
Not in this edition 74.56 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
3.1 children per woman 1990 · 2.33 in 2025
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
22 deaths per 1,000 live births 1990 · 13.2 in 2025
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
Not in this edition $2,400 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
Not in this edition 8% in 1993

Geography

11 fields

Land useshare of 78,200 km2

arable land 6%permanent crops 2%meadows and pastures 15%forest and woodland 54%other 23%includes NEGL% irrigated
Total area
78,200km2
land area: 75,990 km2Comparative area: slightly smaller than South Carolina
Coastline
2,490km
Territorial sea: 200 nm
Land boundaries
555km total
Colombia 225 km, Costa Rica 330 km

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

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

People

14 fields
Population
2,425,400
(July 1990), growth rate 2.1% (1990)

Per 1,000 population(1990)

Birth
26Death
5

Ethnic divisions

mestizo (mixed Indian and European ancestry) 70%West Indian 14%white 10%Indian 6%

Net migration rate

NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1990)

Infant mortality rate

22 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth

72 years male, 76 years female (1990)

Total fertility rate

3.1 children born/woman (1990)

Nationality

noun--Panamanian(s); adjective--Panamanian

Religion

over 93% Roman Catholic, 6% Protestant

Language

  • Spanish (official);
  • 14% speak English as native tongue;
  • many Panamanians bilingual

Labor force

  • 770,472 (1987);
  • 27.9% government and community services;
  • 26.2% agriculture, hunting, and fishing;
  • 16% commerce, restaurants, and hotels;
  • 10.5% manufacturing and mining;
  • 5.3% construction;
  • 5.3% transportation and communications;
  • 4.2% finance, insurance, and real estate;
  • 2.4% Canal Zone;
  • shortage of skilled labor, but an oversupply of unskilled labor

Organized labor

17% of labor force (1986)

Government

Centralized republic

17 fields

Long-form name

Republic of Panama

Type

centralized republic

Capital

Panama

Administrative divisions

  • 9 provinces (provincias, singular--provincia) and 1 territory* (comarca);
  • Bocas del Toro, Chiriqui, Cocle, Colon, Darien, Herrera, Los Santos, Panama, San Blas*, Veraguas

Independence

3 November 1903 (from Colombia; became independent from Spain 28 November 1821)

Constitution

11 October 1972; major reforms adopted April 1983

National holiday

Independence Day, 3 November (1903)

Executive branch

president, two vice presidents, Cabinet

Legislative branch

unicameral Legislative Assembly (Asamblea Legislativa)

Judicial branch

  • Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justica) currently being reorganized Chief of State and Head of Government--President Guillermo ENDARA (since 20 December 1989, elected 7 May 1989);
  • First Vice President Ricardo Arias CALDERON (since 20 December 1989, elected 7 May 1989);
  • Second Vice President Guillermo FORD (since 20 December 1989, elected 7 May 1989) Government alliance--Authentic Liberal Party (PLA);
  • faction of Authentic Panamenista Party (PPA), Guillermo Endara;
  • Christian Democrat Party (PDC), Ricardo Arias Calderon;
  • Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement (MOLIRENA), Alfredo Ramirez;
  • former Noriegist parties--Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD, ex-official government party), Carlos Duque;
  • Labor Party (PALA), Ramon Sieiro Murgas;
  • People's Party (PdP, Soviet-oriented Communist party), Ruben Dario Sousa Batista;
  • Democratic Workers Party;
  • National Action Party (PAN);
  • other opposition parties--Popular Nationalist Party (PNP), Olimpo A. Saez Maruci;
  • factions of the former Liberal and Republican parties;
  • Popular Action Party (PAP), Carlos Ivan Zuniga;
  • Socialist Workers Party (PST, leftist), Jose Cambra;
  • Revolutionary Workers Party (PRT, leftist), Graciela Dixon

Suffrage

  • universal and compulsory at age 18 President--last held on 7 May 1989, annulled but later upheld (next to be held May 1994);
  • results--anti-Noriega coalition believed to have won about 75% of the total votes cast;
  • Legislative Assembly--last held on 7 May 1989, annulled but later upheld;
  • in process of reorganization (next to be held May 1994);
  • results--percent of vote by party NA;
  • seats--(67 total) the Electoral Tribunal has confirmed 58 of the 67 seats--PDC 27, MOLIRENA 15, PLA 6, Noriegist PRD 7, PPA 3;
  • legitimate holders of the other 9 seats cannot be determined and a special election will be held

Communists

People's Party (PdP), pro-Noriega regime mainline Communist party, did not obtain the necessary 3% of the total vote in the 1984 election to retain its legal status; about 3,000 members

Other political or pressure groups

  • National Council of Organized Workers (CONATO);
  • National Council of Private Enterprise (CONEP);
  • Panamanian Association of Business Executives (APEDE)

Member of

FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IRC, ITU, IWC--International Whaling Commission, IWC--International Wheat Council, NAM, OAS, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPEB, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation

  • Ambassador Eduardo VALLARINO;
  • Chancery at 2862 McGill Terrace NW, Washington DC 20008;
  • telephone (202) 483-1407;
  • the status of the Consulates General and Consulates has not yet been determined;
  • US--Ambassador Deane R. HINTON;
  • Embassy at Avenida Balboa and Calle 38, Apartado 6959, Panama City 5 (mailing address is Box E, APO Miami 34002);
  • telephone [507] 27-1777

Flag

divided into four, equal rectangles; the top quadrants are white with a blue five-pointed star in the center (hoist side) and plain red, the bottom quadrants are plain blue (hoist side) and white with a red five-pointed star in the center

Economy

The GDP contracted an estimated 7.5% in 1989, following a drop of 20% in 1988.

16 fields
GDP, purchasing power parity
$3.9billion
per capita $1,648; real growth rate - 7.5% (1989 est.)
Unemployment rate
23%
(1989 est.)
External debt
$5.2billion
(November 1989 est.)

Exports $220 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.)commodities, where a share is given

bananas
40%shrimp
27%coffee
4%
also sugar, petroleum products; partners--US 90%, Central America and Caribbean, EC (1989 est.)

Imports $830 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.)

foodstuffs
16%capital goods
9%crude oil
16%
also consumer goods, chemicals; partners--US 35%, Central America and Caribbean, EC, Mexico, Venezuela (1989 est.)

Budget

Revenues
$598 millionExpenditures
$750 million
expenditures, including capital expenditures of $NA (1989 est.)

Overview

The GDP contracted an estimated 7.5% in 1989, following a drop of 20% in 1988. Political instability, lack of credit, and the erosion of business confidence prompted declines of 20-70% in the financial, agricultural, commercial, manufacturing, and construction sectors between 1987 and 1989.

Transits through the Panama Canal were off slightly, as were toll revenues. Unemployment remained about 23% during 1989. Imports of foodstuffs and crude oil increased during 1989, but capital goods imports continued their slide. Exports were widely promoted by Noriega trade delegations, but sales abroad remained stagnant.

Industrial production

growth rate - 4.1% (1989 est.)

Electricity

1,113,000 kW capacity; 3,270 million kWh produced, 1,380 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries

manufacturing and construction activities, petroleum refining, brewing, cement and other construction material, sugar mills, paper products

Agriculture

  • accounts for 10% of GDP (1989 est.), 26% of labor force (1987);
  • crops--bananas, rice, corn, coffee, sugarcane;
  • livestock;
  • fishing;
  • importer of food grain, vegetables, milk products

Aid

  • US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $515 million;
  • Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $568 million;
  • Communist countries (1970-88), $4 million

Currency

balboa (plural--balboas); 1 balboa (B) = 100 centesimos

Exchange rates

balboas (B) per US$1--1.000 (fixed rate)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

9 fields

Merchant marine, 3,187 ships by type

passenger 34short-sea passenger 22passenger-cargo 3cargo 1,087refrigerated cargo 179container 186roll-on/roll-off cargo 71vehicle carrier 136livestock carrier 7multifunction large-load carrier 9petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker 315chemical tanker 184combination ore/oil 30liquefied gas 91specialized tanker 8bulk 767combination bulk; note--all but 5 are foreign owned and operated; the top 4 foreign owners are Japan 41%, Greece 9%, Hong Kong 9%, and the US 7% (China owns at least 144 ships, Yugoslavia 12, Cuba 6, and Vietnam 9) 583,187 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 46,502,092 GRT/72,961,250 DWT

Airports, 123 total, 112 usable

permanent-surface runways
42runways over 3,659 m
nonerunways 2,440-3,659 m
2runways 1,220-2,439 m
15

Networkskm

Highways
8,530Railroads
238
Highways: ; 2,745 km paved, 3,270 km gravel or crushed stone, 2,515 km improved and unimproved earth · Railroads: ; 78 km 1.524-meter gauge, 160 km 0.914-meter gauge

Railroads

238 km total; 78 km 1.524-meter gauge, 160 km 0.914-meter gauge

Highways

8,530 km total; 2,745 km paved, 3,270 km gravel or crushed stone, 2,515 km improved and unimproved earth

Inland waterways

800 km navigable by shallow draft vessels; 82 km Panama Canal

Pipelines

crude oil, 130 km

Ports

Cristobal, Balboa, Puerto de La Bahia de Las Minas

Civil air

16 major transport aircraft

Telecommunications

  • domestic and international facilities well developed;
  • connection into Central American Microwave System;
  • 2 Atlantic Ocean satellite antennas;
  • 220,000 telephones;
  • stations--91 AM, no FM, 23 TV;
  • 1 coaxial submarine cable

Defense Forces

3 fields
Defense expenditures
2.0%of GDP
(1987)

Branches

  • the Panamanian Defense Forces (PDF) ceased to exist as a military institution shortly after the United States invaded Panama on 20 December 1989;
  • President Endara is attempting to restructure the forces, with more civilian control, under the new name of Panamanian Public Forces (PPF)

Military manpower

  • males 15-49, 628,327;
  • 433,352 fit for military service;
  • no conscription

Central Intelligence Agency. “Panama.” The World Factbook 1990. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/panama/1990.

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