Panama Fact File - General Information

Population: 3,191,319 (July 2005, estimated)

Area: 75,990 square kilometers (29,684 square miles)

Population density: 42 per square kilometer (17 per square mile)

Capital: Panama City

Population: 416,000 as of 2000

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 (75°F) and the afternoon maximum 29°C (84°F). The temperature seldom exceeds 32°C (90°F) for more than a short time.

Government: Constitutional Democracy

Head of State & Government: President Martin Torrijos since 2004

Language: Spanish (official), English 14%. Many Panamanians are bilingual.

Religion: Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 15%

Electricity: 120 volts AC, 60Hz. Plugs are the flat two-pin American type.

Currency and exchange: Panamá adopted the US dollar as its official currency in 1904, and has not printed any paper currency since. Dollars can be referred to as either dólares or balboas. However, Panamá does mint its own coinage: 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 centavo pieces, which are the same shape and size as - and are used interchangeably with - US coins.

Telephone: Country code: 507. There are no area codes. Outgoing international code: 00.

Fax: Main post offices and hotels have facilities.

Internet/email: Internet cafes are very common and inexpensive, normally less than $1 per hour. Some restaurants and coffee shops are now providing wireless hot spots.

Press: Crítica Libre, La Estrella de Panamá, El Matutino, El Panamá América, La Prensa, La República, El Siglo and El Universal (all in Spanish) are the largest daily newspapers.

Mail: Mail to North America takes up to one week to arrive. Airmail to Western Europe takes five to ten days. Main post offices have Poste Restante and EMS (Express Mail Services) facilities. Post office hours: Mon-Fri 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Sat 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Time Zone: GMT-5

Tipping: A tip of 10 to 15 % is typical in hotels (where it will not be included automatically) and restaurants. Taxi drivers do not expect tips, and the rates should be decided before the trip.