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Panama
Panama City
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Panama (Spanish: Panamá) is the
southernmost country of North America. A
transcontinental country, its isthmus
constitutes the last part of a natural land
bridge between the North American and South
American continents. It borders Costa Rica to
the west and Colombia to the east, and the
Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean
to the south.
History
Main article: History of Panama
Much of Panama's domestic politics and
international diplomacy in the 20th century were
tied to the Panama Canal and the foreign policy
of the United States. At the turn of the 20th
century, Theodore Roosevelt pursued United
States diplomatic efforts to facilitate a deal
with Colombia that would allow it to take over
French canal operations started by Ferdinand de
Lesseps. In November 1903, a small number of
wealthy Panamanian landowners lead by a covert
Separatist Junta presided by Dr. Manuel Amador
Guerrero, were encouraged to secede from
Colombia with support from the United States.
On November 3, Panama declared its independence
from Colombia after controlling the Colombian
army. The President of the Municipal Council,
Demetrio H. Brid[1], highest authority at the
time, became its de facto President, appointing
on November 4 a Provisional Government to run
the affairs of the new republic. The United
States was the first country to recognize the
new Republic of Panama and sent troops to
protect the nation. The 1904 Constituent
Assembly elected Dr. Manuel Amador Guerrero, a
prominent member of the Conservative political
party, as the first constitutional President of
the Republic of Panama.
In December 1903 representatives of the republic
signed the Hay-Bunau Varilla Treaty which
granted rights to the United States to build and
administer indefinitely the Panama Canal, which
was opened in 1914. This treaty became a
contentious diplomatic issue between the two
countries, reaching a boiling point on January
9, 1964: Martyr's Day. These issues were
resolved with the signing of the Torrijos-Carter
Treaties in 1977.
The original intent of the founding fathers was
to bring harmony amongst the two major political
parties (Conservatives and Liberals). The
Panamanian government went through periods of
political instability and corruption, however,
and at various times in its history, the mandate
of an elected president terminated prematurely.
In 1968, Gen. Omar Torrijos toppled the
government of the recently elected Arnulfo Arias
Madrid and became an autocratic dictator of
Panama until his death in an airplane accident
in 1981. After Torrijos's death, power
eventually became concentrated in the hands of
Gen. Manuel Noriega, a former head of Panama's
secret police and a former CIA operative.
Relations with the United States government
soured by the end of the 1980s, with Noriega
being accused of drug trafficking.
In December 1989, the United States invaded
Panama in a large military operation codenamed
Operation Just Cause involving 25,000 United
States troops. Ostensibly, the death of an
unarmed U.S. soldier in plain clothes in Panama
at a Panamanian Defence Forces roadblock was one
of the precipitating causes for the invasion
along with drug trafficking charges and
Noriega's refusal to hand over power after being
defeated in elections. However, according to the
Panamanian government at the time, the officer's
vehicle attempted to drive through the
roadblock, which was located near a sensitive
military location. A few hours after the
invasion, in a ceremony that took place inside a
U.S. military base in the former Panama Canal
Zone, Guillermo Endara was sworn in as the new
president of Panama. The invasion occurred just
days before the Panama Canal administration was
to be turned over to Panamanian control,
according to the timetable set up by the
Torrijos-Carter Treaties. After the invasion,
Noriega sought asylum in the Vatican diplomatic
mission represented by Monsignior Jose S. Laboa,
but after a few days turned himself in to the
American military. Noriega was immediately taken
to Florida where he was formally charged and
arrested by United States federal authorities.
He is eligible for parole in 2007.
Under the Torrijos-Carter Treaty, the United
States returned all canal-related lands to
Panama on December 31, 1999, but reserves the
right to military intervention in the interest
of its national security. Panama also gained
control of canal-related buildings and
infrastructure as well as full administration of
the canal.
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Panama
Colon, Panama
Skyline of Panama City
traditional Panamanian building
Ancon Hill in PanamaThe 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 African descent. 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–Colón metropolitan corridor.
The majority of Panamanians are Roman Catholic,
accounting for over 80% of the population.
Although the Constitution recognises Catholicism
as the religion of the majority, Panama has no
official religion. Evangelical Christians are
now estimated to be around 10% of the
population. Other Protestant churches make up
about 4% of the population. Other major
religions in Panama are Islam (1.5%), the Bahá'í
Faith (1%), Judaism (0.4%), and Hinduism (0.3%).
The Jewish community, with over 10,000 members,
is by far the biggest community in the region
(including Central America, Colombia and the
Caribbean). Jewish immigration began in the late
19th Century, and at present there are three
synagogues in Panama City, as well as two Jewish
schools. Within Latin America, Panama has one of
the largest Jewish communities in proportion to
its population, surpassed by Uruguay and
Argentina.
Also in regards to the Bahá'í Faith, Panama
hosts one of only seven Bahá'í Houses of Worship
in the world. Completed in 1972 in Panama City,
it is perched on a high cliff overlooking the
canal, and is constructed of local stone laid in
a pattern reminiscent of Native American fabric
designs.
Panama, because of its historical reliance on
commerce, is above all a melting pot. This is
shown, for instance, by its considerable
population of Chinese origin, who number around
150,000, or about 5% of the population. (See
main article at Chinatowns in Latin
America—Panama). Many Chinese immigrated to
Panama to help build the Panama Railroad. A term
for "corner store" in Panamanian Spanish is el
chino, reflecting the fact that many corner
stores are owned and run by Chinese immigrants.
(Other countries have similar social patterns,
for instance, the "Arab" corner store of
France.)
The country is also the smallest in Latin
America in terms of population, with Uruguay as
the second-smallest (by almost 400,000).
However, since Panama has a faster birth rate,
it is likely that in the coming years its
population will surpass Uruguay's
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Background:
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In
the disastrous War of the Triple Alliance (1865-70),
Panama lost two-thirds of all adult males and much
of its territory. It stagnated economically for the
next half century. In the Chaco War of 1932-35,
large, economically important areas were won from
Bolivia. The 35-year military dictatorship of
Alfredo STROESSNER was overthrown in 1989, and,
despite a marked increase in political infighting in
recent years, relatively free and regular
presidential elections have been held since then.
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Location:
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Central South America, northeast of Argentina |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than California |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 3,920 km
border countries: Argentina 1,880 km, Bolivia
750 km, Brazil 1,290 km |
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Ethnic groups:
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mestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian) 95% |
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Religions:
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Roman
Catholic 90%, Mennonite, and other Protestant |
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Languages:
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Spanish (official), Guarani (official) |
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Currency:
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guarani (PYG)
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Currency code:
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PYG
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Exchange rates:
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guarani per US dollar - 4,783.0 (January 2002),
4,107.7 (2001), 3,486.4 (2000), 3,119.1 (1999),
2,726.5 (1998), 2,177.9 (1997); note - since early
1998, the exchange rate has operated as a managed
float; prior to that, the exchange rate was
determined freely in the market |
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