Location: Middle America, between Colombia and Costa Rica

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean, South America, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area:
total area: 78,200 sq km
land area: 75,990 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than South Carolina

Land boundaries: total 555 km, Colombia 225 km, Costa Rica 330 km

Coastline: 2,490 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 200 nm

International disputes: none

Climate: tropical; hot, humid, cloudy; prolonged rainy season (May to January), short dry season (January to May)

Terrain: interior mostly steep, rugged mountains and dissected, upland plains; coastal areas largely plains and rolling hills

Natural resources: copper, mahogany forests, shrimp

Land use:
arable land: 6%
permanent crops: 2%
meadows and pastures: 15%
forest and woodland: 54%
other: 23%

Irrigated land: 320 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment:
current issues: water pollution from agricultural runoff threatens fishery resources; deforestation of tropical rain forest; land degradation
natural hazards: NA
international agreements: party to - Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation

Note: strategic location on eastern end of isthmus forming land bridge connecting North and South America; controls Panama Canal that links North Atlantic Ocean via Caribbean Sea with North Pacific Ocean

NOTE: The information regarding Panama on this page is re-published from the 1995 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Panama Geography 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Panama Geography 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.