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Population: 3,242,173 (July 2007 est.) Size of Country: 78,200 sq km (slightly smaller than South Carolina) Capital City: Panama City
Time Zone: GMT-5 Location: Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica Climate: Tropical maritime; hot, humid, cloudy; prolonged rainy season (May to January), short dry season (January to May) Currency: Balboa, U.S. dollar Language: Spanish (official), English 14%; many Panamanians bilingual System of Government: Constitutional democracy, led by President Martin Torrijos Espino Telephone Country Code: 507 Electricity: 120 volts National Holidays: Independence Day, Nov. 3 Religion: Roman Catholic (85%), Protestant (15%) Life Expectancy at Birth: 75 years Economy: Panama's dollarized economy rests primarily on a well-developed services sector that accounts for three-fourths of GDP. Services include operating the Panama Canal, banking, the Colon Free Zone, insurance, container ports, flagship registry, and tourism Exports: $8.087 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) Imports: $9.365 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) Gross Domestic Product (Purchasing Power Parity): $26.04 billion (2006 est.) GDP per Capita: $8,200 (2006 est.) Inflation Rate: 2.6% (2006 est.) Source: CIA The World Factbook |