1988 Edition

Administrative divisions

four provinces (Baluchistan, NorthWest Frontier, Punjab, Sind) and 1 territory (Federally Administered Tribal Areas)

Boundary disputes

Cease-Fire Line with India; Pushtunistan and Baluchistan questions with Afghanistan

Capital

Islamabad

Climate

mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north

tropical; hot, humid, cloudy; prolonged rainy season (May to January), short dry season (January to May)

Coastline

1,046 km

2,490 km

Communists

party is outlawed, membership very small; sympathizers estimated at several thousand

Comparative area

about the size of Texas

slightly larger than West Virginia

Contiguous zone

24 nm

Continental shelf

edge of continental margin or 200 nm

Elections

opposition agitation against rigging elections in March 1977 led to military coup; military promised to hold new national and provincial assembly elections in October 1977 but postponed them indefinitely; elections for municipal bodies were held in 1979 and 1983; nonparty national elections were held in February 1985; many outlawed political parties boycotted polling Political parties and leaders: relegalized in December 1985 under legislation requiring parties to register and open books for inspection; government still has wide authority under civil code to restrict political activity; law requires disqualification of any parliamentary delegate who changes party affiliation; majority party in parliament is Pakistan Muslim League (PML), Mohammed Khan Junejo; principal opposition party is the secular socialist Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Benazir Bhutto (major leader); others include National Democratic Party (NDP), Sherbaz Mazari and the Awami National Party (ANP), Abdul Wali Khan; all the aforementioned are in the Movement for Restoration of Democracy (MRD), formed in February 1981; Pakistan National Party (PNP), Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo (Baluch elements of the former NAP); Tehrik-iIstiqlal, Asghar Khan; Jamiat-ul-Ulema-iIslam (JUI), Fazlur Rahman; National People's Party (NPP), Ghulam Mustapha Jatoi

Environment

frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in north and west; flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August); deforestation; soil erosion; desertification

dense tropical forest in east and northwest

Ethnic divisions

Punjabi, Sindhi, Pushtun (Pathan), Baluch

70% mestizo, 14% West Indian, 10% white, 6% Indian

Extended economic zone

200 nm

Government leaders

Gen. Mohammed ZIA-UL-HAQ, President and Army Chief of Staff (since July 1977); confirmed as President through March 1990 in special referendum in December 1984; Mohammed Khan JUNEJO, Prime Minister (since March 1985)

Infant mortality rate

119/1,000 (1983)

20.1/1,000 (1984)

Labor force

28.6 million (1985 est); extensive export of labor; 53% agriculture, 19% industry, 28% services

680,471 (1984 est); 45% commerce, finance, and services; 29% agriculture, hunting, and fishing; 10% manufacturing and mining; 5% construction; 5% transportation and communications; 4% Canal Zone; 1.2% utilities; 20% unemployed (January 1985 est.); shortage of skilled labor, but an oversupply of unskilled labor

Land boundaries

5,900 km total

630 km total

Land use

26% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 6% meadows and pastures; 4% forest and woodland; 64% other; includes 19% irrigated

6% arable land; 2% permanent crops; 15% meadows and pastures; 54% forest and woodland; 23% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

Language

Urdu and English (official); total spoken languages— 64% Punjabi, 12% Sindhi, 8% Pushtu, 7% Urdu, 9% Baluchi and other; English is lingua franca

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

Legal system

based on English common law but gradually being transformed to correspond to Koranic injunction; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; President Zia's government has established Islamic Sharia courts paralleling the secular courts and has introduced Koranic punishments for criminal offenses; martial law courts abolished 30 December 1985, and all cases, including those concerning national security, now require due process

Life expectancy

men 51, women 49

71

Literacy

24%

90%

Member of

ADB, Colombo Plan, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, IDA, IDE— Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ITU, IWC— International Wheat Council, NAM, QIC, Economic Cooperation Organization, SAARC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WFTU, WIPO, WMO, WSG, WTO

National holiday

Pakistan Day, 23 March

Nationality

noun — Pakistani(s); adjective— Pakistani

noun — Panamanian(s); adjective— Panamanian

Organized labor

about 10% of industrial work force

17% of labor force (1986)

Other political or pressure groups

military remains dominant political force; Ulema (clergy), industrialists, and small merchants also influential

Population

104,600,799 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 2.74%

2,274,833 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 2.14%

Religion

97% Muslim, 3% Christian, Hindu, and other

over 93% Roman Catholic, 6% Protestant

Special notes

controls Khyber Pass, traditional invasion route between Afghanistan and Pakistan

strategic location on eastern end of isthmus forming land bridge connecting North and South America; controls Panama Canal that links Atlantic Ocean via Caribbean Sea with Pacific Ocean

Suffrage

universal from age 18

Terrain

flat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and northwest; Baluchistan Plateau in west

interior mostly steep, rugged mountains and dissected, upland plains; coastal areas largely plains and rolling hills

Territorial sea

12 nm

200 nm

Total area

803,940 km2; land area: 778,720 km2

77,080 km2; land area: 75,990 km2

Type

parliamentary with strong executive, federal republic

Administrative divisions

9 provinces, 1 comarca

Branches

under April 1983 reforms, a President, two Vice Presidents, and a 67-member Legislative Assembly are elected by popular vote for five-year terms; nine Supreme Court Justices and nine alternates serve 10-year terms; two justices and their alternates are replaced every other December by presidential nomination and legislative confirmation

Capital

Panama

Communists

People's Party (PdP), progovernment mainline Communist party, did not obtain the necessary three percent of the total vote in 1984 elections to retain its legal status; about 3,000 members

Elections

seven electoral slates made up of 14 registered political parties were on the May 1984 ballot with the president and other winners decided by simple pluralities; mayoral and municipal elections were held in June 1984 Political parties and leaders: (registered for 1984 presidential and legislative elections) National Democratic Union (UNADE; government coalition) — Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD, official government party), Romulo Escobar Bethancourt, Carlos Ozores Typaldos; Republican Party (PR), Eric Arturo Devalle Henriquez; Liberal Party (PL), Roderick Lorenzo Esquivel; Labor Party (PALA), Ramon Sieiro Murgas and Carlos Eleta Almaran; Panamenista Party (PP), Luis Suarez; Popular Broad Front Party (FRAMPO), Alvaro Arosemena; Democratic Opposition Alliance (ADO, opposition) — Christian Democratic Party (PDC), Ricardo Arias Calderon; Authentic Panamenista Party (PPA), Arnulfo Arias Madrid; Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement (MOLIRENA), Alfredo Ramirez, Sr.; other opposition parties — Popular Nationalist Party (PNP), Olimpo A. Saez Maruci; Popular Action Party (PAPO), Carlos Ivan Zuniga; People's Party (PdP, Sovietoriented Communist), Ruben Dario Sousa Batista; Socialist Workers Party (PST), Jose Cambra; Revolutionary Workers Party (PRT), Graciela Dixon

Government leaders

Eric Arturo DELVALLE Henriquez, President (since September 1985); Roderick ESQUIVEL, First Vice President (since October 1985); Second Vice President, unfilled Panama (continued) Suffrage 18: universal and compulsory over age 18

Legal system

based on civil law system; constitution adopted in 1972, but major reforms adopted in April 1983; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Member of

FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD, IDE— 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

National holiday

Independence Day, 3 November

Official name

Islamic Republic of

Republic of Panama

Other political or pressure groups

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

Type

centralized republic

Voting strength

in the May 1984 elections the government coalition received 300,748 votes, narrowly defeating the opposition alliance, which received 299,035 votes; UNADE won 45 seats in the 67-member Legislative Assembly, and ADO won the remaining 22 seats

Agriculture

based on subsistence farming (fruits, dates, cereals, cattle, camels), fishing

wheat, rice, sugarcane, cotton; an illegal producer of opium poppy and cannabis for the international drug trade

bananas, rice, sugarcane, coffee, corn; self-sufficient in basic foods; an illegal producer of cannabis for the international drug trade

Aid

US, including Ex-Im commitments (FY70-85), $468 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF (1970-84), $494 million; Communist countries (1970-85), $4 million

Budget

(1985) revenues, $4.5 billion; expenditures, $5.7 billion

current expenditures, $5.4 billion; development expenditures, $2.6 billion (FY86)

(1984) revenues, $886 million; expenditures, $1.175 billion

Electric power

1,111,000 kW capacity; 2,920 million kWh produced, 2,300 kWh per capita (1986)

5,731,000 kW capacity; 22,590 million kWh produced, 220 kWh per capita (1986)

1,109,000 kW capacity; 3,120 million kWh produced, 1,400 kWh per capita (1986)

Exports

$5.0 billion (f.o.b., 1985), mostly petroleum; nonoil consist mostly of reexports, processed copper, and some agricultural goods

$3.1 billion (c.i.f., FY86); primarily rice, cotton, and textiles

$410 million (f.o.b., 1985); petroleum products, bananas, shrimp, sugar

Fiscal year

calendar year

1 July-30 June

calendar year

Fishing

catch 343,400 metric tons (1983)

catch 143,000 metric tons (1983); exports $53.2 million (1984)

GDP

$9.0 billion, $7,800 per capita (1985 est.)

GNP

$32 billion (FY86 est.); $310 per capita (FY86); real growth 7.3% (FY86)

$4.4 billion (1984), $2,060 per capita; real growth - 3.3% (1985)

Imports

$3.4 billion ( c.i.f., 1985), machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, livestock, lubricants

$5.6 billion (f.o.b., FY86); petroleum (crude and products), cooking oil, machinery

$1.34 billion (f.o.b., 1985); petroleum products, manufactured goods, machinery and transportation equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs

Major industries

crude petroleum production 550,000 b/d (1986)

cotton textiles, steel, food processing, engineering, chemicals, natural gas

food processing, beverages, petroleum products, construction materials, clothing, paper products

Major trade partners

exports — 59% Japan, 15% Korea, 7% Thailand; imports — 23% UK, 20% Japan, 16% UAE, 7% FRG (1985)

exports— US 10%, Japan 10%, UK 8%; imports— Japan 15%, US 12%, Germany 9% (FY86)

exports — 59.1% US, 17% Central America and Caribbean, 16% EC, 8% other; imports— 30% US, 19% Central America and Caribbean, 10% Mexico, 8% Japan, 8% Venezuela, 6% EC, 15% other (1984)

Military transfers

US (FY70-85), $47 million

Monetary conversion rate

.385 rial=US$l (January 1987)

17.2 rupees=US$l (FY86 average)

1 balboa=US$l (January 1986)

Natural resources

oil, copper, asbestos, some marble, limestone, chromium, gypsum

land, extensive natural gas, limited petroleum, poor quality coal, iron ore

copper, mahogany forests, shrimp

Airfields

124 total, 119 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m, 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 57 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

117 total, 99 usable; 70 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m, 29 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 43 with runways 1,200-2,439 m

138 total, 133 usable; 44 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 16 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, Royal Oman Police

Army, Air Force, Navy, Civil Armed Forces, National Guards

Defense Forces of the Republic of Panama (formerly known as the National Guard) includes military ground forces (still designated National Guard), Panamanian Air Force, National Navy, Panama Canal Defense Force, police force, traffic police/highway patrol, National Department of Investigation, Department of Immigration

Civil air

27 major transport aircraft, including multinationally owned Gulf Air Fleet

30 major transport aircraft

16 major transport aircraft

Highways

16,900 km total; 2,200 km bituminous surface, 14,700 km motorable track

101,315 km total (1985); 40,155 km paved, 23,000 km gravel, 29,000 km improved earth, and 9,160 km unimproved earth or sand tracks

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

Inland waterways

negligible

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

Military budget

for fiscal year ending 31 December 1986, $1.6 billion; 32% of central government budget 400km Pe.h. r Kashmir 'ISLAMABAD Arabi, SttHfioiulnupVIII

for fiscal year ending 30 June 1986, $2.17 billion; about 33.6% of central government budget 1SOkm Caribbean Sea ColoV^ • d«l Toro _^ftA Canal ^ — jtn' _ _ 'PANAyA .O.vid *'"»"""( Gulf of' t^P»tn>» ^cw^ Psn""<1 North Pacific Ocean See rctional m»p HI

for fiscal year beginning 1 January 1987, $104.6 million; about 4% of central government budget

Military manpower

males 15-49, 290,000; 165,000 fit for military service

males 15-49, 24,249,000; 14,865,000 fit for military service; 1,196,000 reach military age (17) annually

males 15-49, 579,000; 400,000 fit for military service; no conscription

Pipelines

crude oil 1,300 km; natural gas 1,030 km

250 km crude oil; 2,269 km natural gas; 885 km refined products

crude oil, 130 km

Ports

2 major, 5 minor

2 major, 4 minor Panama

2 major (Cristobal and Balboa), 8 minor

Railroads

none

(1985) 10,097 km total; 7,718 km broad gauge, 445 km meter gauge, and 610 km narrow gauge; 1,037 km broad gauge double track; 286 km electrified; government owned

238 km total; 78 km 1. 524meter gauge, 160 km 0.914-meter gauge

Telecommunications

fair system of open-wire, radio-relay, and radio communications stations; 23,000 telephones (2.2 per 100 popl.); 3 AM, 3 FM, 11 TV stations; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT station, 8 domestic satellite stations, 1 ARABSAT satellite station Defense Forces

good international radiocommunication service over microwave and INTELSAT satellite; domestic radio communications poor; broadcast service good; 474,000 telephones (0.3 per 100 popl.); 21 AM, 23 FM, 16 TV stations; 2 satellite ground stations Defense Forces

domestic and international facilities well developed; connection into Central American microwave net; 2 Atlantic Ocean satellite antennas; 220,000 telephones (10.5 per 100 pop!.); 80 AM, 14 TV stations; 1 coaxial submarine cable Defense Forces