GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION: The republic of Panama has a capital “S” shape lying between parallel 7º and 10º North and 77º and 83º West. It is only a couple of hours by plane from Miami and around four from New York, with daily flights from most mayor US cities.

BORDERS: North with Caribbean Sea, South with Pacific Ocean, East with Colombia, and West with Costa Rica.

SURFACE AREA: 75, 517 km2.

COASTS AND ISLANDS: with two coasts; the Caribbean coast with a length of 1,287.7 Km, and the Pacific coast with 1,700.6 Km. On the Caribbean side we can find approximately 1000 islands, on the Pacific coasts around 500. Most of them are coralline islands of volcanic origin, with varied and exuberant vegetation, white sand beaches and crystalline waters.

RELIEF
70% of the total territory is predominantly low lands and hills of less than 700 meters (2100 feet). The highlands represent 30% of the territory with mountain peaks of more than 900 m (2700 feet) high.

POPULATION
The total population of the Republic of Panama is 2.8 millions (National Population Census 2000), with a “floating” population of around 500,000 people.

Among the ethnic groups you will find:

	White: Most are descendants from European countries and the USA that came with the construction of the Panama Canal, (started by France in the midst of the 19th century and finished by the USA in 1914)
	Mestizo: mix of Indigenous, Spanish and Negro. They represent the majority.
	Indigenous: Kunas – Kuna Yala (Sand Blas), Ngobe-Bugle - Bocas del Toro, Chiriquí, Veraguas, Coclé; Emberas y Wounaan - Chagres river, Colón and Darién; Teribes - Bocas del Toro; Bokotas - Bocas del Toro and Veraguas.
	Afro-Antilleans: originally from the Antilles (Caribbean islands) and employed for the construction of the Transisthmus Railway and Panama Canal (from 1850). You will find them in Panama, Colón and Bocas del Toro.
	Other nationalities and cultures: Jewish, Chinese, Arabs, North Americans, Spaniards, Italians, Peruvians, Colombians, Hindustanis.

LANGUAGES: Spanish is the official language. English is commonly spoken as a second language. The minority groups each speak separate languages; therefore you can find a wide variety in Panama. For instance you can meet a Kuna who speaks Kuna, Spanish and English.

RELIGION: Most Panamanians are Catholic; however freedom of religion is respected and varies in the different ethnic groups, hence we can see Chinese temples, mosques, synagogues, Christian and Protestant churches and many others.

CLIMATE: Tropical with annual rainfall more than 2,500 mm. Dry season rainfall is less than 60 mm. Temperature range is between 18º and 30º C.

SEASONS: Dry season from mid-December to mid-April. Rainy season from end of April to early December.

COMMUNICATION & TRANSPORTATION

-Land: Pan-American Highway and Transisthmus Highway (AKA Boyd Roosevelt Highway)

-Railways: Chiriquí and Bocas del Toro have limited train access. Panama Canal Transisthmus Railway (between Panama City and Colón).

-Sea transportation: Panama Canal (between Panama City and Colón).

-Main ports: Balboa (Panamá), Cristóbal (Colón) and other important cargo ports.

-Main airports: Tocumen International Airport, Marcos A. Gelabert Airport (Albrook). Panama has small airports and runways in each province of the country.

-In each province and city there is taxi, bus, express buses between cities, as well as ferryboat and passenger boat service for those traveling to the islands and coast.

GOVERNMENT: Panama is a Republic with a democratic government with three powers: Executive, Legislative and Judicial. Elections are held every 5 years.

ECONOMY: Due to its unique geographical location, Panama thrives as a country of service, baking, business, and transport. More merchant vessels are Panamanian flag than any other. Exports consist of several products such as banana, coffee, sugar and seafood.

CURRENCY: The official currency is the Balboa, in honor of Vasco Nuñez de Balboa, the discoverer of the Pacific Ocean in 1513. An agreement in 1904 with USA made the US dollar the legal currency of Panama. The Balboa is equivalent to USD Dollar. There are no Balboa paper notes, only coins. Credit cards and travelers checks are widely accepted.