Ethnic groups

• Mestizo (mixed Indian and European ancestry) 70%,
• West Indian 14%,
• Caucasian 10%,
• Indian 6% -- principally Kuna (in Comarca Kuna Yala on the San Blas Islands), Guaymi (in Comarca Ngobe-Bugle in central mountain chain of western Panama in Chiriqui Province. (In the early 16th century, over 60 Indian tribes lived in Panama; coming from the Mayas of Guatemala and Mexico and from the Chibchas of Colombia.)

Religions

• Roman Catholic 85%,
• Protestant (Evangelical) 15%.

Languages

• Spanish (official);
• 14% speak English as their native tongue; English is widely spoken and understood in major cities;
• Various Indian languages.

Education

• Years compulsory--6.
• Attendance--95% for primary school-age children, 96% for secondary.
• Literacy--about 90% overall: urban 94%, rural 62%.

Health

• Infant mortality rate--17/1,000.
• Life expectancy--74 years.

Work force: 910,000

• Government and community services--32%;
• Agriculture--27%;
• Commerce, restaurants, and hotels--16%;
• Manufacturing and mining--9%;
• Transportation and communication--6%;
• Construction--3%;
• Finance, insurance, and real estate--4%.

Geography

• Area: 77,381 square kilometers (29,762 square miles.), slightly smaller than South Carolina.
• Panama occupies the southeastern end of the isthmus forming the land bridge between North and South America and is part of the Continental Divide.
• Located in the center of the Western Hemisphere (approximately 9 degrees latitude), Panama borders on the Caribbean Sea in the north, the Pacific Ocean in the South, Colombia in the east and Costa Rica in the west.
• Interesting fact of local geography: Because of the reclining "S" shape of the Isthmus of Panama the sun rises from the Pacific and sets in the Atlantic.