1992 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1992 (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
Disputes
none
Environment
dense tropical forest in east and northwest
Land area
75,990 km2
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%
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
Territorial sea
200 nm
Total area
78,200 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
25 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate
5 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Ethnic divisions
mestizo (mixed Indian and European ancestry) 70%, West Indian 14%, white 10%, Indian 6%
Infant mortality rate
17 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
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
Languages
Spanish (official); English as native tongue 14%; many Panamanians bilingual
Life expectancy at birth
73 years male, 77 years female (1992)
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 (1992)
Organized labor
17% of labor force (1986)
Population
2,529,902 (July 1992), growth rate 2.0% (1992)
Religions
Roman Catholic over 93%, Protestant 6%
Total fertility rate
3.0 children born/woman (1992)
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
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)
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
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 AA 34002); telephone (507) 27-1777; FAX (507) 27-1964
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
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 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
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), 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
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
Suffrage
universal and compulsory at age 18
Type
centralized republic
Economy
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
Budget
revenues $1.5 billion; expenditures $1.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $140 million (1991 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 (1970-89), $582 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $4 million
Electricity
1,135,000 kW capacity; 3,397 million kWh produced, 1,372 kWh per capita (1991)
Exchange rates
balboas (B) per US$1 - 1.000 (fixed rate)
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.)
External debt
$5.4 billion (December 1991 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
exchange rate conversion - $5.0 billion, per capita $2,040; real growth rate 9.3% (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
Industries
manufacturing and construction activities, petroleum refining, brewing, cement and other construction material, sugar mills
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
2.0% (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.
Unemployment rate
17% (1991 est.)
Communications
Airports
112 total, 102 usable; 39 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
5 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
3,004 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 41,314,623 GRT/73,325,176 DWT; includes 20 passenger, 22 short-sea passenger, 3 passenger-cargo, 1,046 cargo, 205 refrigerated cargo, 175 container, 65 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 111 vehicle carrier, 9 livestock carrier, 4 multifunction large-load carrier, 340 petroleum tanker, 177 chemical tanker, 23 combination ore/oil, 101 liquefied gas, 8 specialized tanker, 659 bulk, 35 combination bulk, 1 barge 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)
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; 220,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 91 AM, no FM, 23 TV; 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite ground stations - 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT
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 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
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - $75.5 million, 1.5% of GDP (1990)
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 661,101; 455,412 fit for military service; no conscription