1991 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1991 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
tropical; hot, humid, cloudy; prolonged rainy season (May to January), short dry season (January to May)
Coastline
2,490 km
Comparative area
slightly smaller than South Carolina
Environment
dense tropical forest in east and northwest
Land boundaries
555 km total; Colombia 225 km, Costa Rica 330 km
Land use
arable land 6%; permanent crops 2%; meadows and pastures 15%; forest and woodland 54%; other 23%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 200 nm
Natural resources
copper, mahogany forests, shrimp
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
Terrain
interior mostly steep, rugged mountains and dissected, upland plains; coastal areas largely plains and rolling hills
Total area
78,200 km2; land area: 75,990 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
26 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate
5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Ethnic divisions
mestizo (mixed Indian and European ancestry) 70%, West Indian 14%, white 10%, Indian 6%
Infant mortality rate
21 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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
Language
Spanish (official); English as native tongue 14%; many Panamanians bilingual
Life expectancy at birth
72 years male, 76 years female (1991)
Literacy
88% (male 88%, female 88%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Nationality
noun--Panamanian(s); adjective--Panamanian
Net migration rate
NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Organized labor
17% of labor force (1986)
Population
2,476,281 (July 1991), growth rate 2.1% (1991)
Religion
Roman Catholic over 93%, Protestant 6%
Total fertility rate
3.0 children born/woman (1991)
Government
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
Capital
Panama
Communists
People's Party (PdP), pro-Soviet 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
Constitution
11 October 1972; major reforms adopted April 1983
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 Miami 34002); telephone [507] 27-1777
Elections
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 27 January 1991 (next to be held May 1994); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(67 total) progovernment parties--PDC 28, MOLIRENA 16, PA 6, PLA 5; 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
Executive branch
president, two vice presidents, Cabinet
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
Independence
3 November 1903 (from Colombia; became independent from Spain 28 November 1821)
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 (since 20 December 1989, elected 7 May 1989)
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)
Long-form name
Republic of Panama
Member of
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
National holiday
Independence Day, 3 November (1903)
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
Political parties and leaders
government alliance--Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement (MOLIRENA), Alfredo RAMIREZ; Authentic Liberal Party (PLA); Arnulfista Party (PA), Francisco ARTOLA; opposition parties--Christian Democratic Party (PDC), Ricardo ARIAS Calderon; Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD, ex-official government party), Gerardo GONZALEZ; Agrarian Labor Party (PALA), Carlos ELETA Almaran; Liberal Party (PL); People's Party (PdP, Soviet-oriented Communist party), Ruben DARIO Sousa Batista; Democratic Workers Party (PDT, leftist), Eduardo RIOS; National Action Party (PAN, rightist); Popular Action Party (PAPO), Carlos Ivan ZUNIGA; Socialist Workers Party (PST, leftist), Jose CAMBRA; Revolutionary Workers Party (PRT, leftist), Graciela DIXON
Suffrage
universal and compulsory at age 18
Type
centralized republic
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for 12% of GDP (1990 est.), 25% of labor force (1989); crops--bananas, rice, corn, coffee, sugarcane; livestock; fishing; importer of food grain, vegetables, milk products
Budget
revenues $1.7 billion; expenditures $1.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $70 million (1990 est.)
Currency
balboa (plural--balboas); 1 balboa (B) = 100 centesimos
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $516 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $575 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $4 million
Electricity
1,113,000 kW capacity; 3,264 million kWh produced, 1,350 kWh per capita (1990)
Exchange rates
balboas (B) per US$1--1.000 (fixed rate)
Exports
$355 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.); commodities--bananas 27%, shrimp 21%, clothing 6%, coffee 4%, sugar 4%; partners--US 90%, Central America and Caribbean, EC (1989 est.)
External debt
$5 billion (December 1990 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
$4.8 billion, per capita $1,980; real growth rate 5% (1990 est.)
Imports
$1,250 million (f.o.b., 1990); commodities--foodstuffs 13%, capital goods 12%, crude oil 12%, consumer goods, chemicals; partners--US 35%, Central America and Caribbean, EC, Mexico, Venezuela (1989 est.)
Industrial production
growth rate 4.8% (1990 est.)
Industries
manufacturing and construction activities, petroleum refining, brewing, cement and other construction material, sugar mills, paper products
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
1.3% (1990 est.)
Overview
GDP expanded by an estimated 5% in 1990, after contracting 1% in 1988 and 14% in 1989. Political stability prompted greater business confidence and consumer demand, leading to increased production by the agricultural, commercial, manufacturing, construction, and utilities sectors. The transportation sector and government services declined slightly due to slack early-1990 transits through the Panama Canal, lower oil pipeline flowthrough, and Panama City's budget cuts. Imports and exports posted gains during the year, and government revenues were up sharply over 1989's levels.
Unemployment rate
20% (1990)
Communications
Airports
113 total, 101 usable; 41 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 15 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
16 major transport aircraft
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
Merchant marine
2,932 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 41,314,623 GRT/66,226,104 DWT; includes 22 passenger, 22 short-sea passenger, 5 passenger-cargo, 1,060 cargo, 188 refrigerated cargo, 165 container, 62 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 105 vehicle carrier, 8 livestock carrier, 5 multifunction large-load carrier, 301 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 175 chemical tanker, 27 combination ore/oil, 91 liquefied gas, 8 specialized tanker, 651 bulk, 37 combination bulk; note--all but 5 are foreign owned and operated; the top 4 foreign owners are Japan 36%, Greece 9%, Hong Kong 9%, and the US 8%; (China owns at least 127 ships, Vietnam 10, Yugoslavia 10, Cuba 5, Cyprus 3, and USSR 2)
Pipelines
crude oil, 130 km
Ports
Cristobal, Balboa, Puerto de La Bahia de Las Minas
Railroads
238 km total; 78 km 1.524-meter gauge, 160 km 0.914-meter gauge
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
Military and Security
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 is attempting to restructure 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
Defense expenditures
$75.5 million, 1.5% of GDP (1990) _%_
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 644,895; 444,522 fit for military service; no conscription