Country
|
 Panama | Belize |
Leader
|

President: Juan Carlos Varela
|

Prime minister: Dean Barrow
|
Population
|
3,608,431
| 340,844
|
Life Expectancy
|
78.300 years
| 68.490 years
|
Capital City
|
Panama
| Belmopan
|
Largest city
|
Panama (population: 408,168) | Belize City (population: 61,461) |
Human Development Index
|
0.832
| 0.771
|
GDP per capita |
$16,500 US
| $8,800 US
|
Literacy Rate
|
91.9%
| 76.9%
|
Corruption Perception Index
|
3.4
| 2.9
|
Percentage of Women in Parliament
|
16.7%
| 11.1%
|
Wealthiest Citizens |
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Unemployment Rate |
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Death Penalty
|
Abolished
| Legal
|
|
Political System
|
constitutional democracy
| parliamentary democracy
|
Independence date
|
3 November 1903 (from Colombia; became independent from Spain 28 November 1821)
| 21 September 1981 (from UK)
|
Religions |
Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 15%
| Roman Catholic 49.6%, Protestant 27% (Pentecostal 7.4%, Anglican 5.3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5.2%, Mennonite 4.1%, Methodist 3.5%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.5%), other 14%, none 9.4% (2000)
|
Languages |
Spanish (official), English 14%; note - many Panamanians bilingual
| Spanish 46%, Creole 32.9%, Mayan dialects 8.9%, English 3.9% (official), Garifuna 3.4% (Carib), German 3.3%, other 1.4%, unknown 0.2% (2000 census)
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Exports |
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External Debt |
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Exchange Rate |
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Military Budget as percentage of GDP |
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Beijing Olympics Medal Count |
1
| 0
|
Location |
Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica
| Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Mexico
|
Area |
75,420 km sq
| 22,966 km sq
|
Coastline |
2,490 km
| 386 km
|
Climate |
tropical maritime; hot, humid, cloudy; prolonged rainy season (May to January), short dry season (January to May)
| tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May)
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