Panama

C

Climate

Most of Panama has a hot and humid tropical climate, with cooler temperatures in higher elevations. Prevailing winds carry moisture from the Caribbean Sea to the northern coast, making it wetter than the Pacific side. The northern slopes of the mountains receive an average of 2,970 mm (117 in) of rain a year, most during the wet season from May to December. Pacific winds bring drier air to the southern coast, which receives up to 1,650 mm (65 in) a year. The Azuero Peninsula is the driest region. Panama lies outside the paths of Caribbean and Eastern Pacific hurricanes. The average temperatures in coastal areas are 23° to 27°C (73° to 81°F); in higher elevations they average about 19°C (66°F).

D

Plant and Animal Life

Panama’s Darién jungle is the largest tropical rain forest in the Western Hemisphere outside the Amazon Basin. The entire north coast of Panama is densely forested and contains more than 2,000 species of tropical plants. This habitat also supports a wide array of animals common to Central and South America, including ocelots, sloths, armadillos, pumas, anteaters, spider and howler monkeys, deer, caimans, crocodiles, and many snakes. It has one of the most diverse populations of birds in the world, ranging from colorful tropical species to long-distance migrating birds. Due to its unique location, Panama has several animal species found nowhere else, such as the golden tree frog and giant tree sloth. In populated areas, however, most of the native animals have been hunted or driven out.

E

Natural Resources

Panamanians regard their country’s location and narrow geography as its most valuable asset, making it appropriate for rail, road, pipeline, and canal crossings. Other natural resources include arable land (7 percent of the territory is regularly farmed), grazing lands, and forests (57 percent of land area). Forested lands yield significant exports of hardwood logs. Panama has manganese and iron-ore deposits, the world’s ninth largest reserves of copper ore, and working gold mines. Its rich fish catch in the Pacific (especially for prawn and shrimp) is being supplemented with shrimp farming in ponds.

F

Environmental Issues

Serious deforestation began with the arrival of the Spaniards in the 16th century. European settlers preferred the coastal lands in the south, because once cleared they did not quickly return to jungle. Today the southern watershed has been mostly stripped of trees for agriculture and cattle. This has not been seen as a problem until recently, and modest efforts have begun to reforest endangered hillsides. Environmental experts also point out dangers from growing settlement in the Darién jungle, which cannot support intensive agriculture, and from selective logging of the most valuable trees in that region. A number of organizations actively seek to reduce these ecological threats, and public awareness is growing.

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Soil erosion in the Chagres River Basin constitutes a more immediate ecological threat in Panama. Penetrated by the Transístmica Highway, this area has been occupied by about 25,000 families. Clearing and planting has led to soil runoff into the rivers and eventually into the Panama Canal. Stepped-up dredging operations have kept the canal open, but continued clearing could jeopardize its operations. The Chagres National Park was established to protect the fragile lands near the headwaters of the river. Another conservation effort, Soberanía National Park, encompasses 22,000 hectares (54,000 acres) of forested land along the east bank of the Panama Canal.

Long-term environmental hazards are expected from disposal of hazardous materials and unexploded ammunition on U.S. military bases in areas the United States controlled as part of the Panama Canal Zone.

III

People

Panama has a population of 3,360,474 (2009 estimate), up from 2.4 million in 1990. The population is concentrated heavily along the Panama Canal and in the cities on either end of the passage. It is a highly diverse society, descended from native people and immigrants over thousands of years.

For several centuries after the arrival of the Spanish, the population size remained stable. The indigenous people declined steadily because of disease and dislocation, as a growing number of Europeans settled in the region, bringing with them African slaves. Beginning with construction of the Panama Railroad between 1850 and 1855, however, Panama’s population grew rapidly. The railroad and then the French and U.S. canal projects, from 1881 to 1914, attracted huge numbers of immigrants, mostly from the West Indies, seeking jobs and economic opportunities. Throughout the 20th century, immigrants arrived from all parts of the world, especially the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Today Panama’s cities, where most newcomers settle, are melting pots of many nationalities and ethnic groups.

Panama’s population is still growing, at a rate of 1.5 percent, with about 20 births and 5 deaths per 1,000 population (2009). In addition, Panamanians are concentrated more and more in cities, driven by desire for better jobs, education, government services, and urban amenities. The transit zone contains well over 1 million people, living in Panama City, Colón, and their burgeoning suburbs. In 2005 the urban population was estimated to be 58 percent of the total, and it is projected to rise to 60 percent by 2010. Overall, Panama has 44 inhabitants per sq km (114 per sq mi), but density is nearly three times higher in the transit zone and drops to fewer than 3 persons per sq km (8 per sq mi) in the province of Darién, the least populated region.

The largest cities are Panama City, with a population of 813,097 (2005 estimate), and its suburb of San Miguelito. The Panama City metropolitan area also includes the cities of Tocumen, Arraiján, and La Chorrera. Other major cities, with 2005 populations, are Colón (198,551) and David (138,241). Other regional cities include Santiago, Penonomé, and Chitré.

Panama City has grown so rapidly that it has outstripped its urban services, especially transportation. New toll roads were begun in the mid-1990s to alleviate traffic problems, and the government began privatizing major utilities in the hope of attracting new investments. Colón, which has been in an economic depression since the 1960s, shows high rates of unemployment, crime, and social disorder. The other cities have not experienced major problems.

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