Panama

PANAMAASHLEY HOWARD

5TH PERIOD

A LITTLE ABOUT PANAMA

• CAPITAL- PANAMA CITY• NATIONAL NAME- REPUBLICA DE PANAMA • PRESIDENT- RICARDO MARTINELLI (MAY 3, 2009)

AREA

• SLIGHTLY SMALLER THAN SOUTH CAROLINA• LAND AREA- 29,340 SQUARE FEET• TOTAL AREA- 30,193 SQUARE FEET

POPULATION

• GROWTH RATE- 10.6%

• BIRTH RATE- 19.17%

• LIFE EXPECTANCY- 77

• (PICTURE IS IN MILLIONS)

• MANY PEOPLE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 16-49 JOIN THE MILITARY

ABOUT THE PEOPLE• LITERACY RATE- 94.2%• 4.5% UNEMPLOYMENT• 85% ARE ROMAN CATHOLIC AND 15% ARE PROTESTANT• SPANISH IS THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE, MANY PEOPLE ARE BILINGUAL AND CAN

SPEAK ENGLISH TOO.

HISTORY• PANAMA WAS EXPLORED BY COLUMBUS IN 1502 AND ALSO BY BALBOA IN

1513.• IN 1821, PANAMA JOINED COLUMBIA WHEN CENTRAL AMERICAN TURNED

AWAY FROM SPAIN, PANAMA SPENT 82 YEARS TRYING, BUT UNSUCCESSFUL, TO BREAK AWAY FROM COLUMBIA.• THE UNITED STATES PAID PANAMA $10 MILLION DOLLARS FOR CANAL RIGHTS

AND MADE AN AGREEMENT TO PAY $258,000 EACH YEAR. THE PRICE WAS INCREASED TO $430,000 IN 1933 AND TO $1,930,000 IN 1955.

• ON DECEMBER 31, 1999 THE UNITED STATES HANDED OVER CONTROL OF THE CANAL BACK TO PANAMA.• PANAMANIANS APPROVED A PLAN TO EXPAND THE PANAMA CANAL IN 2006.

IT SHOULD DOUBLE ITS CAPACITY AND IS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED BY 2015.

CURRENT ENVIRONMENT• ISSUES• WATER POLLUTION THREATENS FISHING RESOURCES

• DEFORESTATION OF TROPICAL RAINFOREST

• LAND DEGRADATION AND EROSION THREATENS SILTATION OF THE PANAMA CANAL

• $14.2 BILLION DEBT (12/31/12)

TERRAIN AND CLIMATE MOSTLY STEEP, UPLAND PLAINS WITH RUGGED MOUNTAINS. AROUND COASTAL AREAS THERE ARE LARGE PLAINS WITH ROLLING HILLS• CLIMATE- HOT, HUMID, CLOUDY. THERE IS A PROLONGED RAINY SEASON

(MAY-JANUARY) AND A SHORT DRY SEASON (JANUARY-MAY)

NATURAL RESOURCES

• COPPER

• MAHOGANY FORESTS

• SHRIMP

• HYDROPOWER- POWER GENERATED BY USING WATER

AGRICULTURE• BANANAS

• RICE

• CORN

• COFFEE

• SUGARCANE

• VEGETABLES

• LIVESTOCK

• SHRIMP

INDUSTRIES• CONSTRUCTION• BREWING• CEMENT AND OTHER CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS• SUGAR MILLING• *OVER SUPPLY OF UNSKILLED LABOR AND A SHORTAGE OF SKILLED LABOR

TRADING• EXPORTS- $13.22 BILLION ON BANANAS, SHRIMP, SUGAR, COFFEE, CLOTHING• IMPORTS- $19.15 BILLION ON CAPITAL GOODS, FOOD, CONSUMER GOODS,

CHEMICALS• MAJOR TRADING PARTNERS- UNITED STATES, SWEDEN, SPAIN, NETHERLANDS,

COSTA RICA, JAPAN, MEXICO, COLUMBIA

TRANSPORTATION• RAILWAYS• HIGHWAYS• AIRPORTS• WATER WAYS• HARBORS

BIBLIOGRAPHY• "PANAMA." INFOPLEASE.COM. N.P., N.D. WEB. 9 NOV. 2013.

• "CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY." THE WORLD FACTBOOK. N.P., N.D. WEB. 9 NOV. 2013.

• "PANAMA PICTURE." COSMICTRAVELNETWORK.COM. N.P., N.D. WEB. 11 NOV. 2013.

• "INFOLATAM » BIOGRAFÍA DE RICARDO MARTINELLI." INFOLATAM RSS. N.P., N.D. WEB. 11 NOV. 2013.

• "LAND OF PANAMA." SSLONLINE.ORG. N.P., N.D. WEB. 11 NOV. 2013

• "PANAMA POPULATION." TRADINGECONOMICS.COM. N.P., N.D. WEB. 11 NOV. 2013

• "PANAMA CANAL." SAFETY4SEA.COM. N.P., N.D. WEB. 11 NOV. 2013.

• "COPPER." CHEMISTRY-REFERENCE.COM. N.P., N.D. WEB. 11 NOV. 2013.

• SHRIMP." WELOVESEAFOOD.COM. N.P., N.D. WEB. 11 NOV. 2013.

• LIVESTOCK." MSUCARES.COM. N.P., N.D. WEB. 11 NOV. 2013.