transitional government note: following a successful referendum on independence for the Autonomous Region of Eritrea on 23-25 April 1993, a National Assembly, composed entirely of the People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ, was established as a transitional legislature; a Constitutional Commission was also established to draft a constitution; ISAIAS Afworki was elected president by the transitional legislature; the constitution, ratified in May 1997, did not enter into effect, pending parliamentary and presidential elections; parliamentary elections were scheduled in December 2001, but were postponed indefinitely; currently the sole legal party is the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ)
Independence date
3 November 1903 (from Colombia; became independent from Spain 28 November 1821)
24 May 1993 (from Ethiopia)
Religions
Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 15%
Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant
Languages
Spanish (official), English 14%; note - many Panamanians bilingual
Afar, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, other Cushitic languages
Exports
External Debt
Exchange Rate
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
1
0
Location
Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica
Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan
Area
75,420 km sq
117,600 km sq
Coastline
2,490 km
2,234 km
Climate
tropical maritime; hot, humid, cloudy; prolonged rainy season (May to January), short dry season (January to May)
hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually, heaviest June to September); semiarid in western hills and lowlands
Rankings + Records
