Population: 2,735,943

Area: 78,000 square kilometers (30,420 square miles)

Language: Spanish is the official language, many people speak English fluently or as a 2nd mother tongue and several indigenous languages are spoken.

People: 65% mestizo, 14% African descent, 10% Spanish descent - white, 5% mulatto, 6% Amerindian

Currency: US dollars (since 1904 the dollar has been Panama's legal currency. The Balboa is Panama's 'parallel' currency and is on par value with the US dollar) Prices may be expressed in both currencies, but the only paper money is the US dollar.

Time Zone: UTC/GMT - 5 hours

Panama is located in Central America, bordering Costa Rica to the north and Colombia to the south, with coastlines on the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. It is a narrow, elongated country which links the North and South American continents and through which shipping passes between the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean along the 80km-long Panama Canal. In addition to the mainland, Panama owns many hundreds of offshore islands, including the San Blas and Bocas del Toro archipelagos. Panama is mountainous inland, with flat coastal lowlands, and rainforests covering much of the country. Much of the land is protected in the interests of its wildlife. A large part of the country of Panama is uninhabited, with the majority of the population living in the main cities of Panama City and Colon, in the canal region or in the Pacific lowlands.