PanamáJessica Gwiazdowski

The Geography of Panamá:• This country is located in central America, just between

Costa Rica and Colombia. • It has a total area of 74,340 sq km which is estimated to be a

little smaller than the state of South Carolina. • 74,340 sq km of that total is land, and the other 1,080 sq km

is water.

• Panamá has a coast line of 2,490 km. • Along with an extended rainy period, it has many hot and

humid periods.• With a mostly steep and rugged mountain landscape,

Panamá also has upland plains.

• The natural resources of this country include: Copper, mahogany forests, shrimp, and hydropower.

• Major Agricultural Resources include: bananas, rice, corn, coffee, sugarcane, vegetables, livestock, and shrimp.

• The Darien area has natural dangers, which include: Serve storms and forest fires.

• Problems with water pollution from runoff has been threatening fishery resources in Panamá. Being that shrimp is one of their natural resources, this has become an environmental issue.

• There also has been deforestation taking place in the tropical rain forest.

• In urban areas there has been much air pollution.

The People of Panamá:• Panamá has a population of 3,360,474 people.

• 29.3% of the population is within the ages of 0-14 years.• 63.9% of the population is within the ages of 15-64 years. • 6.8% of the population is older than the age of 65. • There are 20,000 people living with HIV in Panamá, fewer

than 1,000 deaths have occurred because of it. • Major infectious diseases such as, Bacterial diarrhea,

Dengue fever, and Malaria, take place often through out Panamá.

• Bacterial diarrhea is considered to be a food or waterborne disease.

• Dengue fever and Malaria are considered to be vector borne diseases.

• Among the population, 85% are of the Roman Catholic religion and 15% are Protestant.

• Spanish is the official language of Panamá even though many Panamanians are bilingual.

• According to the 2000 census, 91.9% of the population can read and write.

• Females have a school life expectancy of 14 years. Males have a school life expectancy of 13 years.

The Government of Panamá:• Panamá's government is a constitutional democracy.

• Independence Day is celebrate November 3rd for they independence from Colombia in 1903.

• Their constitution was arranged on October 11, 1972. It was then revised in 1978, 1983, 1994, and 2004.

• The legal system of Panamá is based on a civil law system.• Their Executive branch includes the Chief of State, the Head

of Government (the President and Vice President), and the Cabinet.

• Since July 1, 2009, the President has been Ricardo Martineli Berrocal and the Vice President has been Juan Carlos Varela.

• Each term is five years long. The president and vice president are not eligible for reelection consecutively after their term, they must wait two terms before a reelection.

• The next election is to be held in 2014.

The Economy of Panamá:• 7.1% of this country is listed as unemployed.

• 28.6% of the population falls below the poverty line. • Major Industries within Panamá include construction,

brewing, and sugar milling. • In 1904, Panamá introduced their first coins which followed

the separation of Panamá from Colombia in 1903. • The currency of Panamá is referred to as the Balboa. • 1 US dollar is equal to 1 balboa.

The Military Aspect of Panamá:

• Panamá has no regular military forces although it does have the Panamanian National Police, the National Air-Naval Service, and the National Border Service.

• The population is available for military service if needed throughout the ages of 16-49.

• In February of 1990, the President had discontinued the military and reformed the security by creating public forces.

Tourist Attractions:• The Panamá Canal is a heavily populated tourist attraction. • The canal dates back to the 16th century.• A Spanish official suggest creating a canal route in 1534. At first the

government had lost interest in the canal after several plans for it.• Early in the 18th century, a book of a German scientist sparked sudden

interest in the canal project. In 1819, the Spanish government allowed construction of the canal to begin.

• Americans began to dig through the canal in the search of gold in 1848. • Panamá signed a treaty with the United States stating that the United States

had guaranteed Panamá's independence and gave them full access to the canal.

• The canal is about 51 miles long. • The dangers of landslides had been ignored during the construction of the

canal. The construction caused many landslides. • Gatun's dam along the canal is able to generate enough electricity to power

everything needed in the canal.

• Another tourist attraction of Panamá is Balboa Avenue.

• Balboa Avenue runs along side the bay and many sky scrapers and stores.

• El Cope National Park is located in central Panama.

• This attraction is also known as the Park of Major General Omar, who was an officer of Panama.

• The park reaches about 15,000 acres.• This national park is known for its mists and

fogs. This park protects certain watersheds and birds, such as the Golden-Olive Woodpecker and the Red-Fronted Parrot.

Well known dishes of Panamá:

• Tamales: A popular dish made from boiled ground corn and spices with either chicken or pork inside.

• Empanadas: A Cornish pastry that is made from flour pastry and corn flour. They are usually filled with chicken and cheese.

• Patacones: A fried green plantain that has salt added to it and is fried.

• Tajadas: A ripe plantain that's cute into slices and baked with cinnamon.

http://gwiazdowski.glogster.com/panama/

Work Cited• "CIA - The World Factbook -- Panama." Welcome to the CIA Web Site Central

Intelligence Agency. Web. 30 Mar. 2010. <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/pm.html>.

•  "Panama History." American History and World History at Historycentral.com the Largest and Most Complete History Site on the Web. Web. 30 Mar. 2010. <http://www.historycentral.com/nationbynation/panama/history1.html>.

•"Typical Food, Panamanian Food, Panama Food || Focus Panama." Home Page || Focus Publications Int. Web. 12 Apr. 2010. <http://www.focuspublicationsint.com/focuspanama/en/food.htm>.

• "Panama Currency History." AT&T. Web. 11 Apr. 2010. <http://bellsouthpwp.net/r/u/ruiz_b/Colonial_Currency/currency_history.htm>.

•  "The Panama Canal." Business Broadband Services | Home Broadband Packages- Eclipse Internet. Web. 15 Apr. 2010. <http://www.eclipse.co.uk/~sl5763/panama.htm>.

• http://seeker401.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/panama-canal-boat.jpg

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