Location and Territory
Panama is located is Central America between the two countries of Colombia and Costa Rica. The country of Panama borders both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean. With an area of 75,420 square kilometers (making the country only slightly smaller than the state of South Carolina), Panama is ranked 119th out of the 195 countries in the world size-wise. However, out of this total land area, only 30.5% of the land is used for agriculture, 43.6% of the land is forest, and 25.9% of the land is used for other purposes. The population of Panama is more highly concentrated towards the center of the country, specifically towards the Panama Canal. As a country, Panama is in a strategic location on the eastern end of an isthmus, forming a "land bridge" that connects the continents of North and South America. Panama also has a strategic position with the Panama Canal, which connects the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea with the North Pacific Ocean, which opens many possibilities for trade and communications.
The climate of Panama is hot, humid, and cloudy -- with a prolonged rainy season -- from May to January, and a short, dry season from January to May. This country's terrain is made up of mostly steep and rugged mountains with the occasional upland plain, and the coast is home to coastal plains with rolling hills.
While this country is beautiful with a naturally bio-diverse ecosystem, Panama is currently dealing with environmental issues that are leading to a biodiversity decline. These issues include water pollution from agricultural runoff that directly threatens fishery resources, the deforestation of Panama's tropical forests, land degradation and soil erosion that directly threatens the Panama Canal, intense air pollution in highly-populated urban areas, and mining that threatens Panama's natural resources.
The climate of Panama is hot, humid, and cloudy -- with a prolonged rainy season -- from May to January, and a short, dry season from January to May. This country's terrain is made up of mostly steep and rugged mountains with the occasional upland plain, and the coast is home to coastal plains with rolling hills.
While this country is beautiful with a naturally bio-diverse ecosystem, Panama is currently dealing with environmental issues that are leading to a biodiversity decline. These issues include water pollution from agricultural runoff that directly threatens fishery resources, the deforestation of Panama's tropical forests, land degradation and soil erosion that directly threatens the Panama Canal, intense air pollution in highly-populated urban areas, and mining that threatens Panama's natural resources.