Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica
9 00 N, 80 00 W
Central America and the Caribbean
total: 75,420 sq km
land: 74,340 sq km
water: 1,080 sq km
slightly smaller than South Carolina
total: 687 km
border countries (2): Colombia 339 km, Costa Rica 348 km
2,490 km
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm or edge of continental margin
tropical maritime; hot, humid, cloudy; prolonged rainy season (May to January), short dry season (January to May)
interior mostly steep, rugged mountains with dissected, upland plains; coastal plains with rolling hills
highest point: Volcan Baru 3,475 m
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
mean elevation: 360 m
copper, mahogany forests, shrimp, hydropower
agricultural land: 30.5% (2018 est.)
arable land: 7.3% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 2.5% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 20.7% (2018 est.)
forest: 43.6% (2018 est.)
other: 25.9% (2018 est.)
321 sq km (2012)
139.304 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)
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
occasional severe storms and forest fires in the Darien area
party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
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
NOTE: The information regarding Panama on this page is re-published from the 2021 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Panama 2021 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Panama 2021 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.
This page was last modified 16 Dec 23, Copyright © 2023 ITA all rights reserved.