Panama

This article is about the country. For other uses, see Panama (disambiguation).

Republic of Panama
República de Panamá (Spanish)
Motto: Pro Mundi Beneficio (Latin)
"For the Benefit of the World"
Anthem: Himno Istmeño (Spanish)
"Hymn of the Isthmus"
Capital
and largest city
Panama City
8°58′N 79°32′W / 8.967°N 79.533°W / 8.967; -79.533
Official languagesSpanish
Recognised regional languagesGuaymí
Buglere
Emberá
Wounaan
Kuna
Teribe
Bribri
Ethnic groups
(2020)[1]
Religion
(2020)[2]
  • 7.6% no religion
  • 0.9% other
Demonym(s)Panamanian
GovernmentUnitary presidential republic
• President
José Raúl Mulino
Vacant
LegislatureNational Assembly
Independence
• from Spanish Empire
November 28, 1821
• union with Gran Colombia
December 1821
• from Republic of Colombia
November 3, 1903
October 11, 1972
Area
• Total
75,417 km2 (29,119 sq mi)[3][4] (116th)
• Water (%)
2.9
Population
• 2022 estimate
4,337,768[5] (127th)
• Density
56/km2 (145.0/sq mi) (122nd)
GDP (PPP)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase $186.209 billion[6]
• Per capita
Increase $41,292[6]
GDP (nominal)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase $87.347 billion[6]
• Per capita
Increase $19,370[6]
Gini (2023)Positive decrease 48.9[7]
high inequality
HDI (2022)Increase 0.820[8]
very high (57th)
Currency
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
Date formatmm/dd/yyyy
dd/mm/yyyy
Drives onright
Calling code+507
ISO 3166 codePA
Internet TLD.pa

Panama,[a] officially the Republic of Panama,[b] is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the south. Its capital and largest city is Panama City, whose metropolitan area is home to nearly half of the country's over 4 million inhabitants.[9][10]

Before the arrival of Spanish colonists in the 16th century, Panama was inhabited by a number of different indigenous tribes. It broke away from Spain in 1821 and joined the Republic of Gran Colombia, a union of Nueva Granada, Ecuador, and Venezuela. After Gran Colombia dissolved in 1831, Panama and Nueva Granada eventually became the Republic of Colombia. With the backing of the United States, Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903, allowing the construction of the Panama Canal to be completed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers between 1904 and 1914. The 1977 Torrijos–Carter Treaties agreed to transfer the canal from the United States to Panama on December 31, 1999.[11] The surrounding territory was returned first, in 1979.[12]

Revenue from canal tolls has continued to represent a significant portion of Panama's GDP, especially after the Panama Canal expansion project (finished in 2016) doubled its capacity. Commerce, banking, and tourism are major sectors. Panama is regarded as having a high-income economy.[13] In 2019, Panama ranked 57th in the world in terms of the Human Development Index.[14] In 2018, Panama was ranked the seventh-most competitive economy in Latin America, according to the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Index.[15] Panama was ranked 82rd in the Global Innovation Index in 2024.[16] Covering around 40 percent of its land area, Panama's jungles are home to an abundance of tropical plants and animals – some of them found nowhere else on earth.[17] Panama is a founding member of the United Nations and other international organizations such as the Organization of American States, Latin America Integration Association, Group of 77, World Health Organization, and Non-Aligned Movement.

  1. ^ "Panama". CIA World Factbook. February 4, 2022. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  2. ^ "Segunda Encuesta Nacional de Hogares, Panama 2015" (PDF). Ministerio Público de la República de Panamá. December 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 18, 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  3. ^ "Demographic Yearbook – Table 3: Population by sex, rate of population increase, surface area and density" (PDF). United Nations Statistics Division. 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 26, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  4. ^ "United Nations Statistics Division - Demographic and Social Statistics". unstats.un.org. Archived from the original on October 15, 2017. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  5. ^ "Panama". The World Factbook (2024 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency. 2022. Retrieved September 24, 2022. (Archived 2022 edition.)
  6. ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2024 Edition. (Panama)". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. October 10, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ "Gini Index coefficient". The World Factbook. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  8. ^ "Human Development Report 2023/24" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. March 13, 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
  9. ^ "World Population Prospects 2022". United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  10. ^ "World Population Prospects 2022: Demographic indicators by region, subregion and country, annually for 1950-2100" (XSLX) ("Total Population, as of 1 July (thousands)"). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  11. ^ "Panama". CIA – The World Factbook. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2010.
  12. ^ Department of State, United States of America (1987) [Signed at Washington on September 7, 1977. Entered into force October 1, 1979.]. "Panama Canal Treaty". United States Treaties and Other International Agreements. Vol. 33. United States Department of State. p. 55. 33 UST 39; TIAS 10030. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved September 13, 2020. Upon entry into force of this Treaty, the United States Government agencies known as the Panama Canal Company and the Canal Zone Government shall cease to operate within the territory of the Republic of Panama that formerly constituted the Canal Zone.
  13. ^ "World Economic Outlook Database, April 2019". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. Archived from the original on December 22, 2019. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  14. ^ Human Development Report 2020 The Next Frontier: Human Development and the Anthropocene (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. December 15, 2020. pp. 343–346. ISBN 978-92-1-126442-5. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  15. ^ "Competitiveness Rankings". The Global Competitiveness Report 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  16. ^ World Intellectual Property Organization (2024). "Global Innovation Index 2024. Unlocking the Promise of Social Entrepreneurship" (PDF). www.wipo.int. Geneva. p. 18. doi:10.34667/tind.50062. ISBN 978-92-805-3681-2. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  17. ^ "Country profile: Panama". BBC News. June 30, 2010. Archived from the original on July 2, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2010.


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