NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Geography of Panama

Panama is a country located in Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica. Panama is located on the narrow and low Isthmus of Panama. This S-shaped isthmus is situated between 7° and 10° north latitude and 77° and 83° west longitude. Panama encompasses approximately 77,082 square kilometers, is 772 kilometers in length, and is between 60 and 177 kilometers in width. map of Panama, converted directly from CIA World Factbook GIF File links The following pages link to this file: Geography of Panama Panama City Hay-Herran Treaty Talk:Panama Torrijos-Carter Treaties Categories: CIA World Factbook images | U.S. history images ... map of Panama, converted directly from CIA World Factbook GIF File links The following pages link to this file: Geography of Panama Panama City Hay-Herran Treaty Talk:Panama Torrijos-Carter Treaties Categories: CIA World Factbook images | U.S. history images ... For other uses, see Central America (disambiguation). ... Map of Central America and the Caribbean The Caribbean Sea (pronounced or ) is a tropical sea in the Western Hemisphere, part of the Atlantic Ocean, southeast of the Gulf of Mexico. ... The Isthmus of Panama. ... This article is about the geographical term. ... Longitude is the east-west geographic coordinate measurement most commonly utilized in cartography and global navigation. ...

Formation

Panama is home to the arabian slugs also called bologna. Panama is in love with delissia. Panama's two coastlines are referred to as the Caribbean (or Atlantic) and Pacific, rather than the north and south coasts. To the east is Colombia and to the west Costa Rica. Because of the location and contour of the country, directions expressed in terms of the compass are often surprising. For example, a transit of the Panama Canal from the Pacific to the Caribbean involves travel not to the east but to the northwest, and in Panama City the sunrise is to the east over the Pacific. From Cerro Jefe, near Panama City, it is possible to see both the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean from the same location. This makes Panama the only place in the world where you can see the sun rise in the Pacific and set in the Atlantic.

Political map

The country is divided into nine provinces, plus several indigenous comarcas. The provincial borders have not changed since they were determined at independence in 1903. The provinces are divided into districts, which in turn are subdivided into sections called corregimientos. Configurations of the corregimientos are changed periodically to accommodate population changes as revealed in the census reports. A map of Panama, showing its nine provinces and three provincial-level comarcas indÃgenas (indigenous regions). ... This is a list of the comarques (singular comarca) of Catalonia. ... 1900 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Friday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ...

The country's two international boundaries, with Colombia and Costa Rica, have been clearly demarcated, and in the late 1980s there were no outstanding disputes. The country claims the seabed of the continental shelf, which has been defined by Panama to extend to the 500-meter submarine contour. In addition, a 1958 law asserts jurisdiction over 12 nautical miles from the coastlines, and in 1968 the government announced a claim to a 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone. The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ... Jan. ... A nautical mile or sea mile is a unit of length. ... Year 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sea areas in international rights Under the law of the sea, an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is a seazone over which a state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources. ...

Harbors

The Caribbean coastline is marked by several good natural harbors. However, Cristóbal, at the Caribbean terminus of the canal, had the only important port facilities in the late 1980s. The numerous islands of the Archipiélago de Bocas del Toro, near the Beaches of Costa Rica , provide an extensive natural roadstead and shield the banana port of Almirante. The over 350 San Blas Islands, near Colombia, are strung out for more than 160 kilometers along the sheltered Caribbean coastline. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (892x614, 137 KB) Economic activity map of Panama. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (892x614, 137 KB) Economic activity map of Panama. ... Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. ... Islands entirely covered with dwellings. ...

The major port on the Pacific coastline is Balboa. The principal islands are those of the Archipiélago de las Perlas in the middle of the Gulf of Panama, the penal colony on the Isla de Coiba in the Golfo de Chiriquí, and the decorative island of Taboga, a tourist attraction that can be seen from Panama City. In all, there are some 1,000 islands off the Pacific coast. Balboa is a district of Panama City, located at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal. ... Pearl Islands (or ArchipiÃ©lago de las Perlas in Spanish) is a group of islands on the Pacific side of Panama in the Gulf of Panama. ... Gulf of Panama with minor gulfs. ... Coiba is the largest island in Central America, off the pacific coast of the Panamanian province of Veraguas. ... Taboga is a small island in Panama Bay, easily accessible by Ferry from Panama City. ...

The Pacific coastal waters are extraordinarily shallow. Depths of 180 meters are reached only outside the perimeters of both the Gulf of Panama and the Golfo de Chiriquí, and wide mud flats extend up to 70 kilometers seaward from the coastlines. As a consequence, the tidal range is extreme. A variation of about 70 centimeters between high and low water on the Caribbean coast contrasts sharply with over 700 centimeters on the Pacific coast, and some 130 kilometers up the Río Tuira the range is still over 500 centimeters.

Elevation

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. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1426x668, 213 KB) Shaded relief map of Panama. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1426x668, 213 KB) Shaded relief map of Panama. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 795 Ã— 599 pixelsFull resolution (1695 Ã— 1278 pixels, file size: 1 MB, MIME type: image/png) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 795 Ã— 599 pixelsFull resolution (1695 Ã— 1278 pixels, file size: 1 MB, MIME type: image/png) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... This article is about the mountain system in South America. ...

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. A waterfall in Costa Rica The Cordillera de Talamanca is a range of mountains that lies on the border between Costa Rica and Panama. ... The Cordillera Central is a range of mountains in central Costa Rica which continues the Continental Divide east of Cordillera de TilarÃ¡n. ...

The highest point in the country is the Volcán Barú (formerly known as the Volcán de Chiriquí), which rises to 3475 meters (11401 ft.). The apex of a highland that includes the nation's richest soil, the Volcán Barú is still referred to as a volcano, although it has been inactive for millennia. Panama is also home to Balboa Hill, which offers a view of both the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. The VolcÃ¡n BarÃº (also VolcÃ¡n de Chiriqui) is the tallest mountain in Panama and is 3,475 metres (11,401 ft) high. ...

Waterways

Nearly 500 rivers lace Panama's rugged landscape. Mostly unnavigable, many originate as swift highland streams, meander in valleys, and form coastal deltas. However, the Río Chepo and the Río Chagres are sources of hydroelectric power.The kampia lake and Madden Lake (also filled with water from the Río Chagres) provide hydroelectricity for the area of the former Canal Zone. The Chagres River as seen from the highway between Panama City and Colon The Chagres River (Spanish: RÃo Chagres) is a river in central Panama. ...

The Río Chepo, another major source of hydroelectric power, is one of the more than 300 rivers emptying into the Pacific. These Pacific-oriented rivers are longer and slower running than those of the Caribbean side. Their basins are also more extensive. One of the longest is the Río Tuira which flows into the Golfo de San Miguel and is the nation's only river navigable by larger vessels. The Tuira River is located in the DariÃ©n district of eastern Panama. ... Golfo de San Miguel seen from space The Bay of San Miguel (Spanish: ) is located on the Pacific coast of Darien, a district of eastern Panama. ...

Climate

Panama has a tropical climate. Temperatures are uniformly high- -as is the relative humidity--and there is little seasonal variation. Diurnal ranges are low; on a typical dry-season day in the capital city, the early morning minimum may be 24°C and the afternoon maximum 29°C. The temperature seldom exceeds 32°C for more than a short time. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2629x1116, 535 KB) Satellite image of Panama in March 2003. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2629x1116, 535 KB) Satellite image of Panama in March 2003. ...

Temperatures on the Pacific side of the isthmus are somewhat lower than on the Caribbean, and breezes tend to rise after dusk in most parts of the country. Temperatures are markedly cooler in the higher parts of the mountain ranges, and frosts occur in the Cordillera de Talamanca in western Panama.

Climatic regions are determined less on the basis of temperature than on rainfall, which varies regionally from less than 1.3 to more than 3 meters per year. Almost all of the rain falls during the rainy season, which is usually from April to December, but varies in length from seven to nine months. The cycle of rainfall is determined primarily by two factors: moisture from the Caribbean, which is transported by north and northeast winds prevailing during most of the year, and the continental divide, which acts as a rainshield for the Pacific lowlands. A third influence that is present during the late autumn is the southwest wind off the Pacific. This wind brings some precipitation to the Pacific lowlands, modified by the highlands of the Península de Azuero, which form a partial rainshield for much of central Panama. In general, rainfall is much heavier on the Caribbean than on the Pacific side of the continental divide. The annual average in Panama City is little more than half of that in Colón. Although rainy-season thunderstorms are common, the country is outside the hurricane track.

Fauna and flora

Panama's tropical environment supports an abundance of plants. Forests dominate, interrupted in places by grasslands, scrub, and crops. Although nearly 40 percent of Panama is still wooded, deforestation is a continuing threat to the rain-drenched woodlands. Tree cover has been reduced by more than 50 percent since the 1940s. Subsistence farming, widely practiced from the northeastern jungles to the southwestern grasslands, consists largely of corn, bean, and tuber plots. Mangrove swamps occur along parts of both coasts, with banana plantations occupying deltas near Costa Rica. In many places, a multi-canopied rain forest abuts the swamp on one side of the country and extends to the lower reaches of slopes in the other. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (923x600, 121 KB) Economic activity map of Panama. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (923x600, 121 KB) Economic activity map of Panama. ... Above and below water view at the edge of the mangal. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

General facts

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean West Indies redirects here. ...

Land boundaries:
total: 555 km
border countries: Colombia 225 km, Costa Rica 330 km

Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nautical miles (44 km)
exclusive economic zone: 200 nautical miles (370 km)
territorial sea: 12 nautical miles (22 km) A nautical mile or sea mile is a unit of length. ...

Climate: tropical maritime; hot, humid, cloudy; prolonged rainy season (May to January), short dry season (January to May) The tropics are the geographic region of the Earth centered on the equator and limited in latitude by the two tropics: the Tropic of Cancer in the north and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere. ...

Terrain: interior mostly steep, rugged mountains and dissected, upland plains; coastal areas largely plains and rolling hills

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Volcan de Chiriqui 3,475 m The Volcan de Chiriqui (also VolcÃ¡n BarÃº) is the tallest mountain in Panama and is 3475 meters (11400 feet) high. ...

Natural resources: copper, mahogany forests, shrimp, hydropower Copper has played a significant part in the history of mankind, which has used the easily accessible uncompounded metal for nearly 10,000 years. ... Species See text. ... Superfamilies Alpheoidea Atyoidea Bresilioidea Campylonotoidea Crangonoidea Galatheacaridoidea Nematocarcinoidea Oplophoroidea Palaemonoidea Pandaloidea Pasiphaeoidea Procaridoidea Processoidea Psalidopodoidea Stylodactyloidea True shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. ... Undershot water wheels on the Orontes River in Hama, Syria Saint Anthony Falls Hydropower is the capture of the energy of moving water for some useful purpose. ...

Land use:
arable land: 7%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 20%
forests and woodland: 44%
other: 27% (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: occasional severe storms and forest fires in the Darien area

Environment - current issues: water pollution from agricultural runoff threatens fishery resources; deforestation of tropical rain forest; land degradation and soil erosion threatens siltation of Panama Canal Raw sewage and industrial waste flows into the U.S. from Mexico as the New River passes from Mexicali, Baja California to Calexico, California Water pollution is a large set of adverse effects upon water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans, and groundwater caused by human activities. ... A rainforest is a forested biome with high annual rainfall. ... Two Panamax running the Miraflores Locks The Panama Canal (Spanish: ) is a major ship canal that traverses the Isthmus of Panama in Central America, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. ...

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation Rainforests are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on earth Biodiversity is the variation of taxonomic life forms within a given ecosystem, biome or for the entire Earth. ... UNFCCC logo. ... Earth as seen by Apollo 17 The Kyoto Protocol is an amendment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), an international treaty on global warming. ... Ship stranded by the retreat of the Aral Sea Desertification is the degradation of land in arid, semi arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various climatic variations, but primarily from human activities. ... The Siberian Tiger is a subspecies of tiger that are critically endangered. ... Hazardous waste is waste that poses substantial or potential threats to public health or the environment and generally exhibits one or more of these characteristics: ignitability corrosivity reactivity (explosive) toxicity Many types of businesses generate hazardous waste. ... Admiralty law (usually referred to as simply admiralty and also referred to as maritime law) is a distinct body of law which governs maritime questions and offenses. ... Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping Wastes and Other Matter (London Convention) note - abbreviated as Marine Dumping opened for signature - 29 December 1972 entered into force - 30 August 1975 objective - to control pollution of the sea by dumping and to encourage regional agreements supplementary to the Convention... The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) bans all nuclear explosions in all environments, for military or civilian purposes and was opened for signature in New York on 24 September 1996, when it was signed by 71 States, including the five nuclear weapon states at the time (which did not... Ship pollution is the pollution of water by shipping! It is a problem that has been accelerating as trade has become increasingly globalized. ... note - abbreviated as Tropical Timber 83 opened for signature - November 18, 1983 entered into force - April 1, 1985; this agreement expired when the International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1994, went into force. ... note - abbreviated as Tropical Timber 94 opened for signature - January 26, 1994 entered into force - January 1, 1997 objective - to ensure that by the year 2000 exports of tropical timber originate from sustainably managed sources; to establish a fund to assist tropical timber producers in obtaining the resources necessary to... A subtropical wetland in Florida, USA, with an endangered American Crocodile. ... The crew of the oceanographic research vessel Princesse Alice, of Albert Grimaldi (later Prince Albert I of Monaco) pose while flensing a catch. ... opened for signature - 29 April 1958 entered into force - 20 March 1966 objective - to solve through international cooperation the problems involved in the conservation of living resources of the high seas, considering that because of the development of modern technology some of these resources are in danger of being overexploited...

Geography - note: strategic location at eastern end of Central America; controls Panama Canal that links Atlantic Ocean via Caribbean Sea with Pacific Ocean

References

Category: Geography of Panama The Country Studies are works published by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress ( USA), freely available for use by researchers. ... The U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1789 by a constitutional convention, sets down the basic framework of American government in its seven articles. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... The World Factbook 2007 (government edition) cover. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... Global view centred on North America North America is the third largest continent (1990 est. ... This is an alphabetical list of the sovereign states of the world, including both de jure and de facto independent states. ... This article describes the geography of Antigua and Barbuda. ... Political map of Costa Rica. ... a beach in the Barahona province This article details the geography of the Dominican Republic. ... Map of El Salvador Shaded relief map of El Salvador Satellite image of El Salvador in April 2002 Economic activity of El Salvador, 1980 Vegetation and land use, 1980 The geography of El Salvador is unique among the nations of Central America. ... Location: Caribbean, islands in the Caribbean Sea, about one-third of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago Geographic coordinates: 17 20 N, 62 45 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 261 km² (Saint Kitts 168 km²; Nevis 93 km²) land: 261 km² water... Saint Lucia. ... Location: Caribbean, islands in the Caribbean Sea, north of Trinidad and Tobago Geographic coordinates: 13Â°15â€² N 61Â°12â€² W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 389 kmÂ² (Saint Vincent 344 kmÂ²) land: 389 kmÂ² water: 0 kmÂ² Area - comparative: twice the size of Washington, DC Land... Map of Trinidad and Tobago Location: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela Geographic coordinates: 11Â°00â€² N 61Â°00â€² W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 5,128 sq km land: 5,128 sq km water: 0 sq km... The United States is a nation in the Western Hemisphere. ... Download high resolution version (675x894, 685 KB)From http://cia. ... A dependent territory, dependent area or dependency is a territory that does not possess full political independence or sovereignty as a State. ... Types of administrative and/or political territories include: A legally administered territory, which is a non-sovereign geographic area that has come under the authority of another government. ... Information from The World Factbook See also: British Virgin Islands Categories: British Virgin Islands | Geography by country ... Location: Caribbean, island group in Caribbean Sea, nearly one-half of the way from Cuba to Honduras Geographic coordinates: 19 30 N, 80 30 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: total: 259 km² land: 259 km² water: 0 km² Area - comparative: 1. ... Navassa Island map from The World Factbook Navassa Island (French: La Navase, Haitian KreyÃ²l: Lanavaz) is a small, uninhabited island in the Caribbean Sea. ... The Netherlands Antilles are in the Caribbean Sea. ... Location: Image of Puerto Rico taken by NASA. Caribbean, archipelago between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic Geographic coordinates: 18 15 N, 66 30 W Map references: Central America and the Caribbean Area: Total: 9,104 km² Land: 8,959 km² Water: 145... Location: Northern North America, islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, south of Newfoundland (Canada) Geographic coordinates: 46 50 N, 56 20 W Map references: North America Area: total: 242 km² land: 242 km² water: 0 km² note: includes eight small islands in the Saint Pierre and the Miquelon groups Area... The Turks and Caicos Islands lie in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of the Bahamas and north of Haiti. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require rewriting and/or reformatting. ... This is a list of countries spanning more than one continent. ... World map showing the Americas CIA political map of the Americas The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the continents of North America[1] and South America with their associated islands and regions. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ...

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