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National Police of Panama

Republic of Panama
República de Panamá  (Spanish)
Motto: "Pro Mundi Beneficio"
"For the Benefit of the World"
Anthem: Himno Istmeño  (Spanish)
Hymn of the Isthmus
Location of Panama
Capital
and largest city
Panama City
8°58′N 79°32′W / 8.967°N 79.533°W / 8.967; -79.533
Official languages Spanish
Ethnic groups
Demonym Panamanian
Government Unitary presidential constitutional republic
• President
Juan Carlos Varela
Isabel Saint Malo
Legislature National Assembly
Independence
• from Spanish Empire
November 28, 1821
• union with Gran Colombia
December 1821
November 3, 1903
Area
• Total
75,417 km2 (29,119 sq mi) (116th)
• Water (%)
2.9
Population
• 2016 estimate
4,034,119
• 2010 census
3,405,813
• Density
45.9/km2 (118.9/sq mi)
GDP (PPP) 2016 estimate
• Total
$87.373 billion
• Per capita
$23,024
GDP (nominal) 2016 estimate
• Total
$55,122 billion (78)
• Per capita
$13,654 (52)
Gini (2012) Positive decrease 42.7
medium
HDI (2016) Increase 0.788
high · 60th
Currency
Time zone EST (UTC−5)
Drives on the right
Calling code +507
ISO 3166 code PA
Internet TLD .pa

Coordinates: 9°N 80°W / 9°N 80°W / 9; -80

Panama (/ˈpænəmɑː/ PAN-ə-mah; Spanish: Panamá [panaˈma]), officially called the Republic of Panama (Spanish: República de Panamá), is a country in Central America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia (in South America) to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The capital and largest city is Panama City, whose metropolitan area is home to nearly half of the country's 4 million people.

Panama was inhabited by several indigenous tribes prior to settlement by the Spanish in the 16th century. Panama broke away from Spain in 1821 and joined a union of Nueva Granada, Ecuador, and Venezuela named the Republic of Gran Colombia. When Gran Colombia dissolved in 1831, Panama and Nueva Granada remained joined, eventually becoming the Republic of Colombia. With the backing of the United States, Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903, allowing the Panama Canal to be built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between 1904 and 1914. In 1977 an agreement was signed for the transfer of the Canal from the United States to Panama by the end of the 20th century, which culminated on December 31, 1999.


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