Panama profile
Republic of Panama
Official name: Republic of Panamá (República de Panamá)
- Capital: Panama City (Ciudad de Panama)
- Form of government: presidential republic, which has been officially independent since 1903. Area of Panamá: 77,080 km²
- Population: approx. 4.5 million
- The longest river in Panama is the Rio Chucunaque with a length of 231 km
- The highest mountain in Panama is the Barú volcano at 3475 m above sea level
- The largest lake is Lago Gatún with a surface area of 430 km²
- The largest island that belongs to Panama is the " Isla de Coib " with an area of almost 500 km²
- Main exports: bananas, sugar, corn and seafood
- Currency: Panama theoretically has its own currency, the Balboa (B/.). This has a ratio of 1:1 to the US$, so the dollar is the normal means of payment. There are Balboa coins, up to $1. Then come the familiar green bills.
Panama borders Colombia to the south and Costa Rica to the north. There is no land connection to Colombia; there are two border crossings to Costa Rica.
The most important road is the Panamericana , which runs through all of Panama. The Panamericana connects North America with South America and runs from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego: But in the border area between Panama and Colombia, in the Darién jungle area, there is a gap, the so-called Tapón del Darién, which has not yet been closed. The main reasons for this are that the area is controlled by Colombian guerrillas, and the North Americans do not want this route to be free for the flow of drugs. Nevertheless, construction is underway on the Panama side and the border will soon be reached from there.
The second important traffic artery is the Transmistica , which runs parallel to the Panama Canal between Panama City and Colón. There is also a railway line running next to the Transmistica, which is now also open to passenger traffic (tourists to and from Panama City).
The narrow country of Panama forms the connection between Central and South America. Panama is known worldwide for the strategically important Panama Canal.
The population of Panama consists of mestizos (mixed races between natives and Europeans). Minorities include blacks, mulattoes, Creoles and Indians.
