Panama

centralized republicIndependence 3 November 1903 (from Colombia

Panama as the 1992 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 75 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

Populationas each edition published it

2.53 million July 1992 · 2.43m in 1990

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 children per woman 1992 · 3.1 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

17 deaths per 1,000 live births 1992 · 22 in 1990

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

13 fields

Total area

78,200km2

Comparative 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

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

People

14 fields

Population

2,529,902

(July 1992), growth rate 2.0% (1992)

Per 1,000 population(1992)

Birth

25Death

Ethnic divisions

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

Literacy

88%

(male 88%, female 88%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Nationality

noun - Panamanian(s); adjective - Panamanian

Languages

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

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

Government

Centralized republic

20 fields

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

Legal system

based on civil law system;
judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Justice;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Legislative branch

unicameral Legislative Assembly (Asamblea Legislativa)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia) currently being reorganized

Leaders

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 Boyd (since 20 December 1989, elected 7 May 1989)

Political parties and leaders

government alliance:: Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement (MOLIRENA), Alfredo RAMIREZ;
Authentic Liberal Party (PLA), Arnulfo ESCALONA;
Arnulfista Party (PA), Mireya MOSCOSO DE GRUBER;
opposition parties:: Christian Democratic Party (PDC), Ricardo ARIAS Calderon;
Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD, ex-official government party), Gerardo GONZALEZ;
Agrarian Labor Party (PALA), Carlos LOPEZ Guevara;
Liberal Party (PL), Roderick ESQUIVEL;
Popular Action Party (PAPO);
Socialist Workers Party (PST, leftist), Jose CAMBRA;
Revolutionary Workers Party (PRT, leftist), Graciela DIXON

Elections

President:: last held on 7 May 1989, annulled but later upheld (next to be held NA May 1994);
results - anti-NORIEGA coalition believed to have won about 75% of the total votes cast
Legislative Assembly:: last held on 27 January 1991 (next to be held NA May 1994);
results - percent of vote by party NA;
seats - (67 total)
progovernment parties:: PDC 28, MOLIRENA 16, PA 7, PLA 4
opposition parties:: PRD 10, PALA 1, PL 1; note - the PDC went into opposition after President Guillermo ENDARA ousted the PDC from the coalition government in April 1991

Communists

People's Party (PdP), 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);
National Civic Crusade;
National Committee for the Right to Life

AG (associate), CG, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Jaime FORD;
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 AA 34002);
telephone (507) 27-1777;
FAX (507) 27-1964

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

GDP expanded by roughly 9.3% in 1991, following growth of 4.6% in 1990 and a | 0.4% contraction in 1989.

16 fields

Inflation, consumer prices

2.0%

(1991 est.)

Unemployment rate

17%

(1991 est.)

External debt

$5.4billion

(December 1991 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$1.5 billionExpenditures

$1.7 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $140 million (1991 est.)

Overview

GDP expanded by roughly 9.3% in 1991, following growth of 4.6% in 1990 and a 0.4% contraction in 1989. Delay in coming to terms with the international financial institutions on policies to implement structural reform in Panama generated uncertainty in the private sector and tempered the pace of business expansion in 1991.

Public investment was limited as the administration kept the fiscal deficit below 3% of GDP. Unemployment and economic reform are the two major issues the government must face in 1992-93.

GDP

exchange rate conversion - $5.0 billion, per capita $2,040; real growth rate 9.3% (1991 est.)

Exports

$380 million (f.o.b., 1991 est.)

commodities:: bananas 28%, shrimp 14%, sugar 12%, clothing 5%, coffee 4%
partners:: US 44%, Central America and Caribbean, EC (1991 est.)

Imports

$1.5 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.)

commodities:: capital goods 13%, crude oil 12%, foodstuffs 10%, consumer goods, chemicals (1990)
partners:: US 37%, Japan, EC, Central America and Caribbean, Mexico, Venezuela (1989 est.)

Industrial production

growth rate 7.2% (1991 est.); accounts for almost 9.4% of GDP

Electricity

1,135,000 kW capacity; 3,397 million kWh produced, 1,372 kWh per capita (1991)

Industries

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

Agriculture

accounts for 12% of GDP (1991 est.), 25% of labor force (1989);
crops - bananas, rice, corn, coffee, sugarcane;
livestock;
fishing;
importer of food grain, vegetables

Economic aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $516 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $582 million;
Communist countries (1970-89), $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, 3,004 ships by type

passenger 20short-sea passenger 22passenger-cargo 3cargo 1,046refrigerated cargo 205container 175roll-on/roll-off cargo 65vehicle carrier 111livestock carrier 9multifunction large-load carrier 4petroleum tanker 340chemical tanker 177combination ore/oil 23liquefied gas 101specialized tanker 8bulk 659combination bulk 35barge carrier; note - all but 5 are foreign owned and operated; the top 4 foreign owners are Japan 36%, Greece 8%, Hong Kong 8%, and the US 7%; (China owns at least 128 ships, Vietnam 4, former Yugoslavia 4, Cuba 4, Cyprus 5, and the republics of the former USSR 12) 13,004 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 41,314,623 GRT/73,325,176 DWT

Airports, 112 total, 102 usable

permanent-surface runways

39runways | over 3,659 m

nonerunways 2,440-3,659 m

2runways 1,220-2,439 m

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

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

Defense Forces

3 fields

Branches

note - 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 has restructured the forces into a civilian police service under the new name of Panamanian Public Forces (PPF);
a Council of Public Security and National Defense under Menalco SOLIS in the office of the president coordinates the activities of the security forces;
the Institutional Protection Service under Carlos BARES is attached to the presidency

Manpower availability

males 15-49, 661,101;
455,412 fit for military service;
no conscription

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $75.5 million, 1.5% of GDP (1990)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Panama.” The World Factbook 1992. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/panama/1992.

How to cite ← 1991 edition 1993 edition →