Geography of Panama
{{Short description|none}}
{{Infobox country geography
| name = Panama
| map = Satellite_image_of_Panama_in_March_2003.jpg
| continent = Americas
| region = Central America
| coordinates = {{coord|9|00|N|80|00|W|type:country}}
| area ranking = 116th
| km area = 75,417
| percent land = 98.57
| km coastline = 2,490
| exclusive economic zone = {{convert|335,646|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}
| borders = Total border: {{convert|555|km|mi|abbr=on}}
| geographic center =
| highest point = Volcán Barú
{{convert|3475|m}}
| lowest point = Pacific Ocean
{{convert|0|m}}
| longest river = Chucunaque River
{{convert|231|km|mi|abbr=on}}
| largest lake = Gatun Lake
{{convert|425|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}
}}
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 {{convert|75,417|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}. It is {{convert|772|km|mi|abbr=on}} long, and between {{convert|60 and 177|km|mi|abbr=off|sp=us}} wide.
Geology
The Cocos and Nazca plates formed in the Miocene. The Panama microplate is made of oceanic crust basalt, similar to the basalt plateau at the bottom of the Caribbean Sea. The isthmus of Panama formed due to convergent tectonics of the eastern Pacific subduction zone, which created a magmatic arc extending from southern North America.
The center of the isthmus, from Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica to El Valle volcano in Panama was uplifted during the subduction of the unusually thick Cocos Ridge oceanic crust, which also produced the four kilometer high Talamanca Range. The western edge of the Caribbean Plate—the Central American Volcanic Arc—also collided in the Neogene and was compressed as the South American Plate moved northward. The El Valle volcano is the easternmost stratovolcano in Central America. Dacite and andesite flows from five to 10 million years ago are the oldest rocks, followed by a period of quiet 3.4 million years ago and newer dacite domes and pyroclastic flows between 900,000 and 200,000 years ago. The volcano was the result of crust subduction.{{cite journal|title=Andesite and dacite genesis via contrasting processes: the geology and geochemistry of El Valle Volcano, Panama|first1=Mare J.|last1=Defant|first2=Lee F.|last2=Clark|first3=Robert H.|last3=Stewart|first4=Mark S.|last4=Drummond|first5=Jelle Z.|last5=de Boer|first6=René C.|last6=Maury|first7=Hervé|last7=Bellon|first8=Thomas E.|last8=Jackson|first9=Juan F.|last9=Restrepo|date=1 January 1991|journal=Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology|volume=106|issue=3|pages=309–324|doi=10.1007/bf00324560|bibcode=1991CoMP..106..309D |s2cid=130132647 }}
The combination of these forces produced the Isthmus of Panama and resulted in different sea surface salinity between the Pacific and Atlantic since 4.2 million years ago.{{cite journal|url=https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-abstract/29/3/207/191840|title=Role of Panama uplift on oceanic freshwater balance|first1=Gerald H.|last1=Haug|first2=Ralf|last2=Tiedemann|first3=Rainer|last3=Zahn|first4=A. Christina|last4=Ravelo|date=9 November 2018|journal=Geology|volume=29|issue=3|pages=207|doi=10.1130/0091-7613(2001)029<0207:ROPUOO>2.0.CO;2}} It also resulted in massive interchange of species between North and South America and brought global changes in climate and ocean circulation.
The Bocas del Toro Archipelago on the western Caribbean coast records local stratigraphy through this period, with Pliocene to Pleistocene coral reef carbonates overlying Miocene basalt and siliclastic shale.{{cite journal |journal=Caribbean Journal of Science|volume=41|issue=3|pages=374–391|year=2005 |url=https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/3831/Coates_McNeill_Aubry_Beerggren_and_Collins_2005.pdf|title=An Introduction to the Geology of the Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama|author=A. G. Coates, D. F. McNeill, M-P. Aubry, W. A. Berggren, L. S. Collins |accessdate=2018-11-09}}
In the remote southeastern Darién Province, crystalline basement rock of the San Blas Complex forms massifs in the northeast and southwest, dating to the Cretaceous, Paleocene and Eocene. These rocks and others in the north such as rhyolite, dacite, basaltic andesite, granodiorite and quartz diorite indicate that the region was a separate magmatic arc until 20 million years ago. In the south, pre-collision basement rocks include radiolarian chert, pillow basalt and diabase. Complex faulting and folding formed the {{anchor|Chucunaque-Tuira Basin}}Chucunaque-Tuira Basin which includes three kilometers of sediments from the Miocene deposited during the collision with South America.{{cite journal|url=https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/116/11-12/1327/125266|title=The Geology of the Darien, Panama, and the late Miocene-Pliocene collision of the Panama arc with northwestern South America|first1=A. G.|last1=Coates|first2=L. S.|last2=Collins|first3=M.-P.|last3=Aubry|first4=W. A.|last4=Berggren|date=1 November 2004|journal=Geological Society of America Bulletin|volume=116|issue=11–12|pages=1327–1344|doi=10.1130/B25275.1|bibcode=2004GSAB..116.1327C }}
Offshore of Colombia and western Panama, the Panama Basin formed between 27 and eight million years ago due to asymmetric seafloor spreading between the Nazca and Cocos plates. The Mapelo rift and the Yaquina graben in the eastern basin are remnants of old and now inactive spreading centers. Between 22 and 20 million years ago, hotspot volcanism generated the Carnegie, Cocos and Malpelo ridges.{{cite journal|url=https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-abstract/89/7/981/187594|title=Structure and tectonic history of the eastern Panama Basin|first1=PETER|last1=LONSDALE|first2=KIM D.|last2=KLITGORD|date=9 November 1978|journal=Geological Society of America Bulletin|volume=89|issue=7|pages=981|doi=10.1130/0016-7606(1978)89<981:SATHOT>2.0.CO;2|bibcode=1978GSAB...89..981L }}
Elevation
The dominant feature of Panama's landform is the central spine of mountains and hills that forms the continental divide. The divide does not form part of the great mountain chains of North America, and only near the Colombian border are there highlands related to the Andean system of South America. The spine that forms the divide is the highly eroded arch of an uplift from the sea bottom, in which peaks were formed by volcanic intrusions.
The western portion of the spine, the Cordillera Central, extends from Costa Rica to a low saddle near the Panama Canal. Within the Cordillera Central are three ranges. The lofty Cordillera de Talamanca extends east from Costa Rica and contains Panama's highest peak, Volcán Barú, at {{convert|3475|m|ft|0|sp=us}}. Volcán Barú (or Volcán de Chiriquí) last erupted in 1550{{Cite web|title=Barú|url=https://volcano.si.edu/volcano.cfm?vn=346010|access-date=27 April 2021|website=Global Volcanism Program|publisher=Smithsonian Institution}} and is the apex of a highland that includes Panama's richest soil. Further east are the lower Serranía de Tabasará and Sierra de Veraguas ranges, the latter extending towards the Panama Canal.
Climate
{{See also|Panama City#Climate}}
File:Koppen-Geiger Map PAN present.svg
Panama has a tropical climate. Temperatures are uniformly high—as is the relative humidity—and there is little seasonal variation. Diurnal ranges are low; on a typical dry-season day in the capital city, the early morning minimum may be {{convert|24|°C|1}} and the afternoon maximum {{convert|29|°C|1}}. The temperature seldom exceeds {{convert|32|°C|1}} for more than a short time.
Temperatures on the Pacific side of the isthmus are somewhat lower than on the Caribbean, and breezes tend to rise after dusk in most parts of the country. Temperatures are markedly cooler in the higher parts of the mountain ranges, and frosts occur in the Cordillera de Talamanca in western Panama, with pipes having been frozen at as low as {{convert|7000|ft|m|abbr=on}} elevation.{{cite web|url = https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/OP-006.pdf|title = An Ecological Survey of the proposed Volcan Baru National Park, Republic of Panama|publisher = International Union for Conservation of Nature|access-date = 16 Oct 2024}}
Climatic regions are determined less on the basis of temperature than on rainfall, which varies regionally from less than {{convert|1300|mm|in|1|sp=us}} to more than {{convert|3000|mm|in|1|sp=us}} per year. Almost all of the rain falls during the rainy season, which is usually from May through November, but varies in length from seven to nine months, with certain exception due to monsoons. The cycle of rainfall is determined primarily by two factors: moisture from the Caribbean, which is transported by north and northeast winds prevailing during most of the year, and the continental divide, which acts as a rain shield for the Pacific lowlands. Panama lies outside the Main Development Region for tropical cyclone activity.
A third influence that is present during the late autumn is the southwest wind off the Pacific. This wind brings some precipitation to the Pacific lowlands, modified by the highlands of the Península de Azuero, which form a partial rainshield for much of central Panama. Rainfall is generally much heavier on the Caribbean than on the Pacific side. The annual average in Panama City is little more than half of that in Colón.
=Examples=
Pacific Coast
{{Weather box
|width = auto
|location = Panama City (1971–2000)
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|collapsed = yes
|Jan high C = 31.7
|Feb high C = 31.7
|Mar high C = 32.2
|Apr high C = 32.2
|May high C = 31.1
|Jun high C = 30.6
|Jul high C = 30.6
|Aug high C = 30.6
|Sep high C = 30.0
|Oct high C = 29.4
|Nov high C = 30.0
|Dec high C = 30.6
|year high C =
|Jan mean C = 28.1
|Feb mean C = 28.1
|Mar mean C = 28.6
|Apr mean C = 28.9
|May mean C = 28.3
|Jun mean C = 27.8
|Jul mean C = 27.8
|Aug mean C = 27.8
|Sep mean C = 27.2
|Oct mean C = 27.0
|Nov mean C = 27.2
|Dec mean C = 27.5
|year mean C =
|Jan low C = 24.4
|Feb low C = 24.4
|Mar low C = 25.0
|Apr low C = 25.6
|May low C = 25.6
|Jun low C = 25.0
|Jul low C = 25.0
|Aug low C = 25.0
|Sep low C = 24.4
|Oct low C = 24.4
|Nov low C = 24.4
|Dec low C = 24.4
|year low C =
|Jan rain mm = 29.3
|Feb rain mm = 10.1
|Mar rain mm = 13.1
|Apr rain mm = 64.7
|May rain mm = 225.1
|Jun rain mm = 235.0
|Jul rain mm = 168.5
|Aug rain mm = 219.9
|Sep rain mm = 253.9
|Oct rain mm = 330.7
|Nov rain mm = 252.3
|Dec rain mm = 104.6
|rain colour = green
|unit rain days = 0.1 mm
|Jan rain days = 2.9
|Feb rain days = 1.3
|Mar rain days = 1.4
|Apr rain days = 4.9
|May rain days = 15.0
|Jun rain days = 16.0
|Jul rain days = 14.0
|Aug rain days = 15.0
|Sep rain days = 17.0
|Oct rain days = 20.0
|Nov rain days = 16.0
|Dec rain days = 7.5
|year rain days = 131.0
|Jan sun = 228.9
|Feb sun = 245.2
|Mar sun = 183.9
|Apr sun = 173.1
|May sun = 108.5
|Jun sun = 116.3
|Jul sun = 106.1
|Aug sun = 118.1
|Sep sun = 99.2
|Oct sun = 103.9
|Nov sun = 139.8
|Dec sun = 120.5
|year sun = 1743.5
|source 1 = World Meteorological Organization
{{cite web
| url = http://worldweather.wmo.int/076/c01221.htm
| title = World Weather Information Service – Panama City
| publisher = World Meteorological Organization
| access-date = 10 April 2013}}
|source 2 = ETESA (sunshine data recorded at Albrook Field)
{{cite web
| url = http://www.hidromet.com.pa/clima_historicos.php
| title = Datos Históricos : Estación Albrook Field
| publisher = Empresa de Transmisión Eléctrica S.A
| access-date = 10 April 2013
| language = es}}
|date=August 2010
}}
Caribbean coast
{{Weather box
|width = auto
|collapsed = Yes
| location = Colón | single line = Yes | metric first = Yes | temperature colour =
| Jan high F = 84 | Feb high F = 84 | Mar high F = 85 | Apr high F = 86 | May high F = 87 | Jun high F = 86 | Jul high F = 85 | Aug high F = 85 | Sep high F = 87 | Oct high F = 86 | Nov high F = 84 | Dec high F = 84
| year high F = 85
| Jan low F = 76 | Feb low F = 76 | Mar low F = 76 | Apr low F = 77 | May low F = 76 | Jun low F = 75 | Jul low F = 75 | Aug low F = 75 | Sep low F = 75 | Oct low F = 74 | Nov low F = 74 | Dec low F = 75
| year low F = 75
| Jan rain inch = 4.3 | Feb rain inch = 2.0 | Mar rain inch = 1.4 | Apr rain inch = 3.7 | May rain inch = 10.8 | Jun rain inch = 14.5 | Jul rain inch = 16.5 | Aug rain inch = 16.4 | Sep rain inch = 11.5 | Oct rain inch = 18.4 | Nov rain inch = 24.4 | Dec rain inch = 12.6
| rain colour = green
| source 1 = Weatherbase{{cite web | url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=38787&refer=wikipedia | title=Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Colon, Panama | publisher=Weatherbase | year=2011}}
Retrieved on November 24, 2011.
| date = November 2011
}}
Interior lowlands
{{Weather box
| width = auto
| metric first = yes
| single line = yes
|collapsed = Y
| location = Santiago de Veraguas (1991–2020)
| Jan record high C = 37.0
| Feb record high C = 38.0
| Mar record high C = 39.4
| Apr record high C = 39.4
| May record high C = 38.4
| Jun record high C = 36.6
| Jul record high C = 36.4
| Aug record high C = 35.6
| Sep record high C = 36.4
| Oct record high C = 35.2
| Nov record high C = 35.2
| Dec record high C = 36.0
| year record high C =
| Jan high C = 33.0
| Feb high C = 34.4
| Mar high C = 35.3
| Apr high C = 35.1
| May high C = 33.1
| Jun high C = 32.0
| Jul high C = 31.9
| Aug high C = 32.0
| Sep high C = 31.8
| Oct high C = 30.9
| Nov high C = 31.0
| Dec high C = 32.0
| year high C =
| Jan mean C = 26.8
| Feb mean C = 27.7
| Mar mean C = 28.3
| Apr mean C = 28.7
| May mean C = 28.0
| Jun mean C = 27.4
| Jul mean C = 27.2
| Aug mean C = 27.3
| Sep mean C = 27.0
| Oct mean C = 26.7
| Nov mean C = 26.7
| Dec mean C = 26.8
| year mean C =
| Jan low C = 20.5
| Feb low C = 20.9
| Mar low C = 21.3
| Apr low C = 22.3
| May low C = 23.0
| Jun low C = 22.9
| Jul low C = 22.5
| Aug low C = 22.6
| Sep low C = 22.2
| Oct low C = 22.4
| Nov low C = 22.3
| Dec low C = 21.5
| year low C =
|Jan record low C = 15.6
|Feb record low C = 15.6
|Mar record low C = 16.6
|Apr record low C = 16.8
|May record low C = 18.0
|Jun record low C = 19.4
|Jul record low C = 18.0
|Aug record low C = 18.8
|Sep record low C = 18.2
|Oct record low C = 17.8
|Nov record low C = 18.8
|Dec record low C = 15.2
|year record low C =
| rain colour = green
| Jan rain mm = 22.5
| Feb rain mm = 16.7
| Mar rain mm = 20.9
| Apr rain mm = 96.7
| May rain mm = 313.7
| Jun rain mm = 300.8
| Jul rain mm = 243.0
| Aug rain mm = 317.3
| Sep rain mm = 342.4
| Oct rain mm = 395.5
| Nov rain mm = 259.3
| Dec rain mm = 82.7
| unit rain days = 0.1 mm
| Jan rain days = 2.3
| Feb rain days = 1.1
| Mar rain days = 1.8
| Apr rain days = 6.2
| May rain days = 17
| Jun rain days = 18
| Jul rain days = 15
| Aug rain days = 18
| Sep rain days = 20
| Oct rain days = 21
| Nov rain days = 17
| Dec rain days = 6.6
| Jan sun = 235.1
| Feb sun = 243.3
| Mar sun =247.6
| Apr sun =202.6
| May sun =160.0
| Jun sun =124.6
| Jul sun =133.2
| Aug sun =139.1
| Sep sun =128.0
| Oct sun =129.8
| Nov sun =139.3
| Dec sun =182.2
| year sun =
| source 1 = World Meteorological Organization{{cite web
|url = https://worldweather.wmo.int/en/city.html?cityId=1242
|title = World Weather Information Service
|publisher = World Meteorological Organization
|access-date = 18 August 2024}}
|source 2 = {{cite web
|url = https://www.climatestotravel.com/climate/panama#southwest
|title = Climate in Panama
|publisher = Climates to travel
|access-date = 13 Oct 2024}}{{cite web
|url = https://www.imhpa.gob.pa/es/descripcion-generall-clima-panama
|title = Datos Meteorológicos
|publisher = Instituto de Meteorología e Hidrología de Panamá
|access-date = 10 Aug 2024}}
}}
{{Weather box
|width = auto
|location = David, Chiriquí
|single line = Yes
|metric first = Yes
|collapsed = Yes
|Jan high C = 32.2
|Feb high C = 33.3
|Mar high C = 33.9
|Apr high C = 33.3
|May high C = 31.7
|Jun high C = 31.1
|Jul high C = 30.6
|Aug high C = 30.6
|Sep high C = 30.6
|Oct high C = 30.0
|Nov high C = 30.0
|Dec high C = 31.1
|year high C = 31.5
| Jan mean C = 26.9
| Feb mean C = 27.8
| Mar mean C = 28.4
| Apr mean C = 28.3
| May mean C = 27.5
| Jun mean C = 27.2
| Jul mean C = 27.0
| Aug mean C = 26.7
| Sep mean C = 26.7
| Oct mean C = 26.4
| Nov mean C = 26.4
| Dec mean C = 26.7
| year mean C =
|Jan low C = 21.7
|Feb low C = 22.2
|Mar low C = 22.8
|Apr low C = 23.3
|May low C = 23.3
|Jun low C = 23.3
|Jul low C = 23.3
|Aug low C = 22.8
|Sep low C = 22.8
|Oct low C = 22.8
|Nov low C = 22.8
|Dec low C = 22.2
|year low C = 22.8
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 33.3
|Feb rain mm = 19.3
|Mar rain mm = 35.5
|Apr rain mm = 102.5
|May rain mm = 297.0
|Jun rain mm = 322.6
|Jul rain mm = 289.8
|Aug rain mm = 340.3
|Sep rain mm = 406.6
|Oct rain mm = 400.5
|Nov rain mm = 295.4
|Dec rain mm = 77.4
|Jan humidity = 67.7
|Feb humidity = 62.6
|Mar humidity = 62.4
|Apr humidity = 69.6
|May humidity = 79.5
|Jun humidity = 81.1
|Jul humidity = 80.4
|Aug humidity = 81.1
|Sep humidity = 82.1
|Oct humidity = 83.8
|Nov humidity = 82.8
|Dec humidity = 75.5
|year humidity = 75.7
|Jan sun= 275.5
|Feb sun= 262.0
|Mar sun= 270.5
|Apr sun= 216.2
|May sun= 160.4
|Jun sun= 128.3
|Jul sun= 141.1
|Aug sun= 148.6
|Sep sun= 135.4
|Oct sun= 139.5
|Nov sun= 154.5
|Dec sun= 218.7
|source 1 = World Meteorological Organisation (UN) (30 yr record),{{cite web
|url = http://worldweather.wmo.int/076/c01241.htm
|title = World Weather Information Service – David
|access-date = October 9, 2012
|publisher = World Meteorological Organization
|url-status = live
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121028021404/http://worldweather.wmo.int/076/c01241.htm
|archive-date = October 28, 2012
}}
|source 2 = ETESA (humidity and sun values){{cite web
|url = http://www.hidromet.com.pa/clima_historicos.php
|title = Datos Historicos- Hidrometeorologica de ETESA
|access-date = October 9, 2012
|publisher = ETESA
|url-status = live
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121009003023/http://www.hidromet.com.pa/clima_historicos.php
|archive-date = October 9, 2012
}}
|date=November 2011
}}
Highlands
{{Weather box|width=auto
|metric first=y
|single line=y
|collapsed = Y
|location = Boquete
| Jan record high C = 31.0
| Feb record high C = 30.2
| Mar record high C = 31.0
| Apr record high C = 31.0
| May record high C = 30.5
| Jun record high C = 29.5
| Jul record high C = 30.6
| Aug record high C = 29.8
| Sep record high C = 29.5
| Oct record high C = 28.8
| Nov record high C = 30.4
| Dec record high C = 29.2
| year record high C =
| Jan high C = 23.2
| Feb high C = 23.2
| Mar high C = 24.3
| Apr high C = 24.3
| May high C = 24.3
| Jun high C = 24.0
| Jul high C = 23.7
| Aug high C = 23.7
| Sep high C = 23.4
| Oct high C = 23.5
| Nov high C = 23.2
| Dec high C = 22.7
| year high C =
| Jan mean C = 19.5
| Feb mean C = 19.2
| Mar mean C = 20.2
| Apr mean C = 20.3
| May mean C = 20.6
| Jun mean C = 20.6
| Jul mean C = 20.4
| Aug mean C = 20.4
| Sep mean C = 20.0
| Oct mean C = 20.0
| Nov mean C = 19.8
| Dec mean C = 19.2
| year mean C =
| Jan low C = 15.8
| Feb low C = 15.2
| Mar low C = 16.2
| Apr low C = 16.3
| May low C = 16.9
| Jun low C = 17.1
| Jul low C = 17.1
| Aug low C = 17.0
| Sep low C = 16.7
| Oct low C = 16.5
| Nov low C = 16.4
| Dec low C = 15.7
| year low C =
|Jan record low C = 4.0
|Feb record low C = 4.6
|Mar record low C = 4.0
|Apr record low C = 3.4
|May record low C = 6.0
|Jun record low C = 5.0
|Jul record low C = 4.0
|Aug record low C = 4.2
|Sep record low C = 2.8
|Oct record low C = 4.2
|Nov record low C = 3.0
|Dec record low C = 3.0
|year record low C =
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 52.3
|Feb rain mm = 26.6
|Mar rain mm = 36.7
|Apr rain mm = 76.1
|May rain mm = 284.2
|Jun rain mm = 317.2
|Jul rain mm = 224.5
|Aug rain mm = 293.8
|Sep rain mm = 397.4
|Oct rain mm = 411.7
|Nov rain mm = 219.8
|Dec rain mm = 101.3
|year rain mm =
|source 1 = Climates to travel {{cite web
|url = https://www.climatestotravel.com/climate/panama#southwest
|title = Climate in Panama
|publisher = Climates to travel
|access-date = 13 Oct 2024}}
|source 2 = IMHPA (rainfall and temperature records){{cite web
|url = https://www.imhpa.gob.pa/es/
|title = Instituto de Meteorología e Hidrología de Panamá (108-017)
|publisher = IMHPA
|access-date = 29 Sep 2024}}
}}
Vegetation
Panama's tropical environment supports an abundance of plants. Forests dominate, interrupted in places by grasslands, scrub, and crops. Nearly 40 percent of Panama is wooded. Deforestation is a continuing threat to the rain-drenched woodlands. Tree cover has been reduced by more than 50 percent since the 1940s.
Subsistence farming, widely practiced from the northeastern jungles to the southwestern grasslands, consists largely of corn, bean, and tuber plots. Mangrove swamps occur along parts of both coasts, with banana plantations occupying deltas near Costa Rica. In many places, a multi-canopied rain forest abuts the swamp on one side of Panama and increases to the lower reaches of slopes in the other.
Harbors
{{See also|List of islands of Panama}}
The Caribbean coastline is marked by several good natural harbors. The numerous islands of the Archipiélago de Bocas del Toro, near the Beaches of Costa Rica, provide an extensive natural roadstead and shield the banana port of Almirante. The over 350 San Blas Islands, near Colombia, are strung out for more than {{convert|abbr=on|160|km|0}} along the sheltered Caribbean coastline.
The major port on the Pacific coastline is Balboa. The principal islands are those of the Archipiélago de las Perlas in the middle of the Gulf of Panama, the penal colony on the Isla de Coiba in the Golfo de Chiriquí, and the decorative island of Taboga, a tourist attraction that can be seen from Panama City. In all, there are some 1,000 islands off the Pacific coast.
The Pacific coastal waters are extraordinarily shallow. Depths of {{convert|180|m|0}} are reached only outside the perimeters of both the Gulf of Panama and the Golfo de Chiriquí, and wide mud flats extend up to {{convert|abbr=on|70|km|0}} seaward from the coastlines. As a consequence, the tidal range is extreme. A variation of about {{convert|70|cm|ft|1}} between high and low water on the Caribbean coast contrasts sharply with over {{convert|abbr=on|700|cm|ft|0}} on the Pacific coast, and some {{convert|abbr=on|130|km|0}} up the Río Tuira, the tidal range is still over {{convert|abbr=on|500|cm|ft|0}}. A recent global remote sensing analysis suggested that there were 1,016 km2 of tidal flats in Panama, making it the 32nd ranked country in terms of tidal flat area.{{cite journal|last1=Murray |first1=N.J. |last2=Phinn |first2=S.R. |last3=DeWitt |first3=M. |last4=Ferrari |first4=R. |last5=Johnston |first5=R. |last6=Lyons |first6=M.B. |last7=Clinton |first7=N. |last8=Thau |first8=D. |last9=Fuller |first9=R.A. |title=The global distribution and trajectory of tidal flats |journal=Nature |date=2019 |volume=565 |issue=7738 |pages=222–225 |doi=10.1038/s41586-018-0805-8 |pmid=30568300 |s2cid=56481043 |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0805-8}}
Waterways
Nearly 500 rivers lace Panama's rugged landscape. Mostly unnavigable, many originate as swift highland streams, meander in valleys, and form coastal deltas. The Río Chepo and the Río Chagres are sources of hydroelectric power. The Kampia lake and Madden Lake (also filled with water from the Río Chagres) provide hydroelectricity for the area of the former Canal Zone.
More than 300 rivers empty into the Pacific. These Pacific-oriented rivers are longer and slower running than those of the Caribbean side. Their basins are also more extensive. One of the longest is the Río Tuira which flows into the Golfo de San Miguel and is the nation's only river navigable by larger vessels.
Administrative divisions
{{Main|Provinces and regions of Panama}}
Panama is divided into 10 provinces, plus several indigenous comarcas. The provinces are divided into districts, which in turn are subdivided into sections called corregimientos. Configurations of the corregimientos are changed periodically to accommodate population changes as revealed in the census reports.
General facts
{{cleanup rewrite|section|date=December 2020}}
Geographic coordinates: {{coord|9|00|N|80|00|W|type:country}}
Map references:
Northern 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:
{{convert|12|nmi|km|abbr=off}}
contiguous zone:
{{convert|24|nmi|km|abbr=off}}
exclusive economic zone:
{{convert|335,646|km2|mi2|abbr=on}} and {{convert|200|nmi|km|abbr=off}} 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:
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.