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Panama is the southernmost country in the continent of North America.

History

Main article: History of Panama

Theodore Roosevelt's gunboat diplomacy and the United States military separated Panama from Colombia and made it a puppet state in 1903 to build and dominate the unborn Panama Canal.

On December 31 of 1999, the United States handed over the canal zone to Panama.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Panama

Panama is a representative democracy with three branches of government: executive and legislative branches elected by direct vote for 5-year terms, and an independently appointed judiciary. The executive branch includes a president and two vice presidents. The legislative branch consists of a 72-member unicameral Legislative Assembly. The judicial branch is organized under a nine-member Supreme Court and includes all tribunals and municipal courts. An autonomous Electoral Tribunal supervises voter registration, the election process, and the activities of political parties. Everyone over the age of 18 is required to vote, although those who fail to do so are not penalized.

Provinces

Main article: Provinces of Panama

Cuba is divided into 9 provinces (provincias) and 2 territories (comarca), marked by a *:

Geography

Main article: Geography of Panama

Panama in located in Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica. Its strategic location on eastern end of isthmus forming a land bridge connecting North and South America. As of 1999, Panama controls the Panama Canal that links North Atlantic Ocean via Caribbean Sea with North Pacific Ocean.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Panama

Because of its key geographic location, Panama's economy is service-based, heavily weighted toward banking, commerce, and tourism. The hand-over of the canal and military installations by the US has given rise to new construction projects. The Moscoso administration inherited an economy that is much more structurally sound and liberalized than the one inherited by its predecessor.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Panama

The culture, customs, and language of the Panamanians are predominantly Caribbean Spanish. Ethnically, the majority of the population is mestizo or mixed Spanish, Indian, Chinese, and West Indian. Spanish is the official and dominant language; English is a common second language spoken by the West Indians and by many in business and the professions. More than half the population lives in the Panama City-Colon metropolitan corridor.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Panama

Miscellaneous topics

External Links