Panama’s tropical climate has two seasons, one dry and one rainy. Variations depend on the region and altitude. The Caribbean coast sees rain year-round, while the Pacific coast has a more pronounced dry season. The Azuero Peninsula has an extremely arid climate during the dry season. In contrast, the mountains get plentiful rain during the wet season.
The wet season lasts from May to November and is considered winter, though it’s a time when plants are sprouting. There are fewer visitors to Panama at this time and prices are lower. Summer, the dry season, lasts from December to April, with March and April generally being the hottest months.
Variations in temperature are linked to altitude in Panama. Coastal temperatures regularly reach 95°F (35°C). The temperature drops 34°F (1°C) for every 150 meters (nearly 500 feet). Those who would rather avoid hot and humid weather might prefer the cooler regions: El Valle, Boquete, Volcan and Cerro Azul.
The balboa is the currency of Panama. Its ISO 4217 code is PAB. It is named in honour of the Spanish explorer/conquistador Vasco Núñez de Balboa. The balboa is subdivided into 100 centésimos.
Panama is located in Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica. Its location on the Isthmus of Panama is strategic. By 1999, Panama controlled the Panama Canal that links the North Atlantic Ocean via the Caribbean Sea with the North Pacific Ocean.
The dominant feature of the country's landform is the central spine of mountains and hills that forms the continental divide. The divide does not form part of the great mountain chains of North America, and only near the Colombian border are there highlands related to the Andean system of South America. The spine that forms the divide is the highly eroded arch of an uplift from the sea bottom, in which peaks were formed by volcanic intrusions.
The mountain range of the divide is called the Cordillera de Talamanca near the Costa Rican border. Farther east it becomes the Serranía de Tabasará, and the portion of it closer to the lower saddle of the isthmus, where the canal is located, is often called the Sierra de Veraguas. As a whole, the range between Costa Rica and the canal is generally referred to by Panamanian geographers as the Cordillera Central.
The highest point in the country is the Volcán Barú (formerly known as the Volcán de Chiriquí), which rises to 3475 meters (11401 ft.). A nearly impenetrable jungle forms the Darien Gap between Panama and Colombia. It creates a break in the Pan-American Highway, which otherwise forms a complete road from Alaska to Patagonia.
Pre-Columbian period
Pre-Columbian heritage of native populations whose presence stretched back over 11,000 years.The earliest traces of these indigenous peoples include fluted projectile points. This changed into significant populations that are best known through the spectacular burials of the Conte site (dating to c. AD 500-900) and the polychrome pottery of the Coclé style. The monumental monolithic sculptures at the Barriles (Chiriqui) site were another important clue of the ancient isthmian cultures. Prior to the arrival of Europeans, Panama was widely settled by Chibchan, Chocoan, and Cueva peoples, among whom the largest group were the Cueva. There is no accurate knowledge of size of the indigenous population of the isthmus at the time of the European conquest. Estimates range as high as two million people, but more recent studies place that number closer to 200,000. Archaeological finds as well as testimonials by early European explorers describe diverse native isthmian groups exhibiting cultural variety and suggesting people already conditioned by regular regional routes of commerce.
On 3 November 1903, Panama seceded from Colombia. The US gunboat Nashville prevented the Colombian military from sailing to Panama. An assault through the dense Panamanian jungle was impossible. The President of the Municipal Council, Demetrio H. Brid, the highest authority at the time, became its de facto president, appointing a Provisional Government on 4 November to run the affairs of the new republic. The United States, as the first country to recognize the new Republic of Panama, sent troops to protect its economic interests. The 1904 Constituent Assembly elected Dr. Manuel Amador Guerrero, a prominent member of the Conservative political party, as the first constitutional President of the Republic of Panama.
In November 1903, Phillipe Bunau-Varilla—a French citizen who was not authorized to sign any treaties on behalf of Panama without the review of the Panamanians—unilaterally signed the Hay-Bunau Varilla Treaty which granted rights to the United States to build and administer indefinitely the Panama Canal, which was opened in 1914. This treaty became a contentious diplomatic issue between the two countries, reaching a boiling point on Martyr's Day (9 January 1964). The issues were resolved with the signing of the Torrijos-Carter Treaties in 1977 returning the former Canal Zone territories to Panama.
The second intent of the founding fathers was to bring peace and harmony between the two major became the de facto leader of Panama. As a military dictator, he was the leading power in the governing military junta and later became an autocratic strong man. Torrijos maintained his position of power until his death in an airplane accident in 1981.
Manuel Noriega came up through the ranks after serving in the Chiriquí province and in the city of Puerto Armuelles for a time. He was a former head of Panama's secret police and was an ex-informant of the CIA. But Noriega's implication in drug trafficking by the United States resulted in difficult relations by the end of the 1980s.
United States invasion of Panama
On 20 December 1989, twenty-seven thousand U.S. personnel invaded Panama in order to remove Manuel Noriega. A few hours before the invasion, in a ceremony that took place inside a U.S. military base in the former Panama Canal Zone, Guillermo Endara was sworn in as the new President of Panama. The invasion occurred ten years before the Panama Canal administration was to be turned over to Panamanian authorities, according to the timetable set up by the Torrijos-Carter Treaties. During the fighting, between two hundred and four thousand Panamanians, mostly civilians, were killed.
Noriega surrendered to the American military shortly after, and was taken to Florida to be formally extradited and charged by U.S. federal authorities on drug and racketeering charges. He became eligible for parole on September 9, 2007, but remained in custody while his lawyers fought an extradition request from France. Critics have pointed out that many of Noriega's former allies remain in power in Panama.
Under the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, the United States turned over all canal-related lands to Panama on 31 December 1999. Panama also gained control of canal-related buildings and infrastructure as well as full administration of the canal.
The people of Panama have already approved the widening of the canal which, after completion, will allow for post-Panamax vessels to travel through it, increasing the number of ships that currently use the canal.
1 Jan New Year's Day.
9 Jan* National Martyrs' Day.
10 Apr Good Friday.
1 May Labour Day.
15 Aug Old Panama City Day (Panama City only).
3 Nov Independence Day (from Colombia).
5 Nov Independence Day (Colón City only).
10 Nov First Call for Independence from Spain.
28 Nov* Independence Day (from Spain).
8 Dec Mothers' Day.
25 Dec Christmas Day.
Note
For public holidays falling on a Sunday, the following Monday will be observed as a holiday.
* Where these public holidays fall mid-week, the following Monday will be observed as a holiday.
The population of Panama in 2003 was estimated by the United Nations at 3,120,000, which placed it as number 129 in population among the 193 nations of the world. In that year approximately 6% of the population was over 65 years of age, with another 32% of the population under 15 years of age. There were 102 males for every 100 females in the country in 2003. According to the UN, the annual population growth rate for 2000–2005 is 1.84%, with the projected population for the year 2015 at 3,790,000. The population density in 2002 was 39 per sq km (101 per sq mi).
It was estimated by the Population Reference Bureau that 56% of the population lived in urban areas in 2001. The capital, Panama City, had a population of 1,141,000 in that year. Other major cities include Colón, 140,908; and David, 102,678. According to the United Nations, the urban population growth rate for 2000–2005 was 2.0%.
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