PANAMA
THE NAME: From Indian, meaning “abundance of fish”
THE PEOPLE: The Panamanians
GEOGRAPHY
Central mountain ranges bordered by coastal lowlands
Eastern regions covered by dense tropical forests
Max. altitude: 3,475 m. (11,401 ft.) (Bani volcano)
Area: 77,082 sq. km. (29,762 sq. mi.)
Density: 28 pers./sq. km. (72 pers./sq. mi.) (1986)
Arable land: 7% (1987)
Forest: 53%
Climate: Tropical, but tempered by sea breezes; little seasonal variation in temperatures; rainy season from April until December.
HISTORY
There may have been as many as 750,000 Indians when the Spanish arrived, but exploitation, disease, and murder decimated them.
1501: Discovery by the Spanish
1821: Independence from Spain and union with Gran Colombia (a confederation consisting of Ecuador, Panama, Colombia, and Venezuela)
November 3, 1903: Breaks away from Colombia to grant the United States the right to control the Panama Canal in perpetuity
1914: Opening of the canal
1968: Coup under Colonel Omar Torrijos Herrera
1977: Panama Canal Treaty, giving jurisdiction to Panama and the responsibility of operation to the United States until 1999
