Republic of Panama
República de Panamá (Spanish)
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Motto: "Pro Mundi Beneficio"
"For the Benefit of the World" |
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Capital and largest city |
Panama City 8°58′N 79°32′W / 8.967°N 79.533°W |
Official languages | Spanish |
Ethnic groups |
|
Demonym |
Panamanian |
Government | Unitary presidential constitutional republic |
Juan Carlos Varela | |
Isabel Saint Malo | |
Legislature | National Assembly |
Independence | |
• from Spanish Empire
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November 28, 1821 |
• union with Gran Colombia
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December 1821 |
• from Republic of Colombia
|
November 3, 1903 |
Area | |
• Total
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75,417 km2 (29,119 sq mi) (116th) |
• Water (%)
|
2.9 |
Population | |
• 2016 estimate
|
4,034,119 |
• 2010 census
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3,405,813 |
• Density
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45.9/km2 (118.9/sq mi) |
GDP (PPP) | 2016 estimate |
• Total
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$87.373 billion |
• Per capita
|
$23,024 |
GDP (nominal) | 2016 estimate |
• Total
|
$55,122 billion (78) |
• Per capita
|
$13,654 (52) |
Gini (2012) |
42.7 medium |
HDI (2016) |
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
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.