Panama Country Description

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Panama
Lizeida Ortiz-Mercado
Latin America in the Contemporary World
December 22, 2015

Panama Country Description
Panama is located in Central America. The country borders the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, it is located between Colombia and Costa Rica. It is a tropical isthmus whose climate is hot and humid. Panama has a rainy season that spans May to January and a dry season which is January to May. The country’s natural resources are copper, mahogany forests, shrimp and hydropower. (Central Intelligence Agency, 2015)
Panama was settled by the Spanish in the 16th century. Panama got their independence from Spain in 1821. At that time they became part of the Republic of Gran Colombia. The other countries that were a part of this republic were Ecuador, Venezuela, and Colombia. They withdrew from this federal union in 1903, and signed a ratified agreement with the US that allowed for the construction of the Panama Canal. The canal was built by the US Army Corp of Engineers over a period of ten years from 1904-1914. By the close of 1999 as per an agreement signed in 1977, Panama regained control of the Canal. In 2007 Panama, began a project to expand the canal. (Central Intelligence Agency, 2015) …show more content…

The ethnic group breakdown is 65% mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 12.3% Native American, 9.2% Black or African descent, 6.8% mulatto, and 6.7% white. The official language is Spanish and 85% of the population is Roman Catholic, the other 15% is Protestant. (Central Intelligence Agency, 2015). Panama has one of the fastest growing economies in Latin America, second only to Chile? Like many Latin American countries poverty and inequality are issues. The largest percentage of Panama’s poor are the indigenous

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