Panama

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Panama's Information


Capital	Panama City
Languages	Spanish (official), indigenous languages (including Ngabere (or Guaymi), Buglere, Kuna, Embera, Wounaan, Naso (or Teribe), and Bri Bri), Panamanian English Creole (similar to Jamaican English Creole; a mixture of English and Spanish with elements of Ngabere; also known as Guari Guari and Colon Creole), English, Chinese (Yue and Hakka), Arabic, French Creole, other (Yiddish, Hebrew, Korean, Japanese)
Ethnic Groups	Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 65%, Native American 12.3% (Ngabe 7.6%, Kuna 2.4%, Embera 0.9%, Bugle 0.8%, other 0.4%, unspecified 0.2%), black or African descent 9.2%, mulatto 6.8%, white 6.7% (2010 est.)
Religion	Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 15%
Government	Presidential republic
Independance	3 November 1903 (from Colombia; became independent from Spain on 28 November 1821)
Area	75,420.00 km²
Water Area	1,080.00 km²
Land Area	74,340.00 km²
Population	3,705,246.00 Population is concentrated towards the center of the country, particularly around the Canal, but a sizeable segment of the populace also lives in the far west around David; the eastern third of the country is sparsely inhabited
Location	Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica
No. Bordering Countries	2
Bordering Countries	Colombia 339 km, Costa Rica 348 km
GDP(PPP)	$93,120,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$22,800.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are the United States, Germany, and Costa Rica.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are fruit and nuts, fish, iron and steel waste, and wood.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are the United States, China, and Mexico.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include fuels, machinery, vehicles, iron and steel rods.
Climate	Tropical; northwest monsoon (December to March), southeast monsoon (May to October); slight seasonal temperature variation
Terrain	Interior mostly steep, rugged mountains with dissected, upland plains; coastal plains with rolling hills

Where is Panama?

Located in Central America, Panama has a 687.00 km border with Colombia (339 km) and Costa Rica (348 km). It has a 2,490.00 km coastline. Organized illegal narcotics operations operate within the remote border region between Panama and Colombia.

Panama City located on the Isthmus that joins South and North America in Panama province. It possesses a great history, beginning in its founding in 1519. The Spanish conquistador Pedro Arias Davila founded the city, but it was later destroyed by fire and finally rebuilt three years later. The city was moved and rebuilt 5 miles away from the Panama Viejo (Old Panama) to its current location. The city is the most populous in Panama with 880,691 living in the city and the metropolitan having 1,272,672 inhabitants. The city has excellent tourist attraction for people to visit from great viewpoints, beaches to Panama Viejo (Old Panama) ruins which are in its original state after the ruins. Panama City experiences two seasons: the dry season and the rainy season.The dry season is favorable for tourist visits. Usually, Panama City has a daytime temperature of 30 degrees Celsius with temperatures dropping at night to around 22 to 24 degrees Celsius.]

Geography

Panama has a mean elevation of 360 m above sea level.

It has a tropical climate with northwest monsoons from December to March and southeast monsoons from May to October. Its terrain consists of steep, rugged mountains and coastal plains with rolling hills.

Population

Panama has a population of 3,705,246 making it the 130th largest in the world. The majority of the population can be found near the center of the country.

Spanish is the official language. The major ethnic groups reported are mestizo and Native American. The majority of the country identifies as Roman Catholic.

Spanish is the official language in Panama, and it is used by about 93% of the country’s population. The use of Spanish can be traced back to the Spanish rule in Panama. There is a difference in pronunciation between Panamanian Spanish and the Spanish used in Spain. Besides, some words and phrases are uniquely Panamanian and can only be understood by the locals because they take different meanings in others parts of the world. There are 27 letters that make up the Spanish alphabet. 7% of Panama’s population speaks the indigenous languages. The minority languages include Ngobe-Bugle, Buglere, Kuna, Embera, Teribe, and English. Only 1% speaks Arabic. Other languages found in Panama are Korean, Hebrew, Japanese, Eastern Yiddish, and Arabic.

Government

Panama is an independent country. It gained independence from Spain in 1821 and from Colombia in 1903. Its constitution was last ratified in 1972.

The government of Panama is called Republic of Panama, and its constitution was adopted on October 11, 1972. Several amendments have been made since, with the last amendment in 2004. The president is the head of state and government and exercises executive powers. The parliament has 71 members elected for a five year term, and who are eligible for re-election after five years. Members of the National Assembly should be at least 21 years old. The National Assembly is situated on Justo Arosemena Palace in the city of Panama. The voting age in Panama is 18 years and above and eligible voters should also be citizens of Panama.

Economy

Factoring in Purchasing Power Parity, Panama's GDP is $93,120,000,000.00 (USD) with $22,800.00 (USD) per capita. This makes it the 85th largest economy and its citizens the 76th richest in the world. The currency of Panama is the Balboa (PAB).

Its major export partners are the United States, Germany, and Costa Rica. Its main exports are fruit and nuts, fish, iron and steel waste, and wood. Its major import partners are the United States, China, and Mexico. Its major imports include fuels, machinery, vehicles, iron and steel rods.

Flag

Panama’s current flag is rectangular and is comprised of four quarters. The flag also has two five-pointed stars. Mr. Manuel Amador Jr is the mind behind the current design of Panama’s flag. It is made up of three colors: red, blue and white with each color having a meaning behind it. There are also two five-pointed stars. The colors red and blue represent the two major political parties of the country. The white on the flag represents peace. The blue five-pointed star symbolizes purity while the red star stands for the new law of the country. The flag’s designers made their designs based on the current US flag. The first serious Panamanian flag design comprised of thirteen alternating colors of yellow and red with the top left having two interconnecting suns. The suns represented two continents, North and South America, which are connected by Panama. There is another theory that the blue color on Panamas flag also represents the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea respectively while the red color represents the blood split during the fight for independence.