page_title: Geography of Panama
section_title: General facts
hierarchical_section_title: Geography of Panama / General facts
context_page_description: Panama is a country located in Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica. Panama is located on the narrow and low Isthmus of Panama.
  This S-shaped isthmus is situated between 7° and 10° north latitude and 77° and 83° west longitude. Panama encompasses approximately 75,417 km². It is 772 km long, and between 60 and 177 kilometers wide.
context_section_description: Geographic coordinates: 9°00′N 80°00′W
  Map references:Northern of South America, the Caribbean and sometimes Central America
  Area:
  total:
  75,420 km²
  land:
  74,340 km²
  water:
  1,080 km²
  Land boundaries:
  total:
  555 km
  border countries:
  Colombia 225 km, Costa Rica 330 km
  Coastline:
  2,490 km
  Maritime claims:
  territorial sea:
  12 nautical miles (22 km)
  contiguous zone:
  24 nautical miles (44 km)
  exclusive economic zone:
  335,646 km² (129,594 sq mi) and 200 nautical miles (370 km) or edge of continental margin
  Climate:tropical maritime; hot, humid, cloudy; prolonged rainy season (May to January), short dry season (January to May)
  Terrain:
  interior mostly steep, rugged mountains and dissected, upland plains; coastal areas largely plains and rolling hills
  Extreme points:
  Northernmost point: Point Manzanillo
  Southernmost point: Punta Mariato, Cerro Hoya National Park, Veraguas
  Westernmost point: Border with Costa Rica, Chiriquí Province
  Easternmost point: Border with Colombia, Darién Province
  Lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
  Highest point: Volcan de Chiriqui 3,475 m
  Natural resources:copper, mahogany forests, shrimp, hydropower
  Land use:
  arable land:
  7.16%
  permanent crops:
  2.51%
  other:
  90.33% (2011)
  Irrigated land:
  346.2 km² (2003)
  Total renewable water resources:
  148 km³ (2011)
  Natural hazards:
  occasional severe storms and forest fires in the Darien area, earthquakes
  Environment - current issues:water pollution from agricultural runoff threatens fishery resources; deforestation of tropical rain forest; land degradation and soil erosion threatens siltation of Panama Canal; air pollution in urban areas; mining threatens natural resources
  Environment - international agreements:
  party to:Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
  signed, but not ratified:Marine Life Conservation
  Geography - note:
  strategic location at eastern end of Central America; controls Panama Canal that links Atlantic Ocean via Caribbean Sea with Pacific Ocean. Central Panama has the unusual distinction of having the sun rise over the Pacific and set over the Atlantic.
caption: Economic activity in Panama, 1981
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