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Panama Geography 1996

Location:

Middle America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total area:

78,200 sq km

land area:

75,990 sq km

comparative area:

slightly smaller than South Carolina

Land boundaries:

total 555 km, Colombia 225 km, Costa Rica 330 km

Coastline:

2,490 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea:

200 nm

International disputes:

none

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

Natural resources:

copper, mahogany forests, shrimp

Land use:

arable land:

permanent crops:

meadows and pastures:

15%

forest and woodland:

54%

other:

23%

Irrigated land:

320 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment:

current issues:

water pollution from agricultural runoff threatens fishery resources; deforestation of tropical rain forest; land degradation

natural hazards:

international agreements:

party to - Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Tropical Timber 94

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

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