Mollie Siddens

Geography 340
The Republic of Panama
Independence
Explored first by Spaniard Rodrigo
de Bastidas in 1502
Later explored by Columbus
and Balboa
Claimed for Spain in 1502
Declared its independence from Spain in 1821
Joined the Republic of Gran Colombia
Dissolved 1830
Panam was still a part of Colombia
With the help of the US (reasonPanama Canal),
they seceded from Colombia and declared
independence on November 3, 1903



Economy
GDP (est. 2008)
$25.04 billion (USD)
GDP per capita
$11,900 (USD)
World Rank: 93
rd

Major economic activities:
Exports
Bananas, fish, shrimp, sugar, coffee
Industries
Construction, brewing
Canal & maritime services




Population
Total population
3.411 million
Infant Mortality Rate
12.67 per 1000 births
World Rank: 139
th

Total Fertility Rate
2.5 births per woman

Cultural Data
Major ethnicities
70% Mestizo
(including
mulattoes)
14% Black (West
Indies)
9% White
7% Amerindian



Major religions
84% Roman Catholic
15% Protestant
1% other
Major Languages
Spanish (official)
14% English

Panama Canal:
France first attempted in 1880, but failed
United States began another attempt
Hay-Herran Treaty
Panama Independence from Colombia due to
US naval intervention
Panama eventually signed the treaty
Gave the US rights to build the Panama Canal
The US bought out Frances equipment and
excavations for $40 million
The US completed the Panama Canal 1914
Better infrastructure than Frances plan
Elevated canal with a system of locks
Surprising Fact: The total death
toll for the construction on the
canal was 27,500 men
Current Event
Currenlty, there is a 7-year, $5.25 billion expansion project for the
Panama Canal going on
It will double the canals capacity for traffic and allow larger ships
to move through
It is expected to reduce Panamas poverty rate by 30% due to
more jobs and more money from maritime exportation
This expansion is causing debates
between Panamanians and Americans,
especially those from Southern
California because this will undermine
important ports on Californias coast.
There are also many debates over how this
will affect world trade as a whole
Manuel Noriega:
Had an impressive military career
Commanded a large province of Panama
Eventually head of G-2, Panamas military
intelligence command
This lead to his dictatorship
Was accused by his former chief of staff of drug
trafficking, fixing the 1984 election, ordering the
assassination of Hugo Spadafora, and being
involved in the unexplained plane crash which killed
President Omar Torrijos
He fell out of favor with America and the general
population of Panama
Declared the 1989 election to be void
Put his own chosen official in power
Former President George H. W. Bush launched
Operation Just Cause
This protected US canal interests as well as stopped
Noriegas attempt to completely control Panama
Convicted and sentenced to 40 years in Miami
prison and to pay $44 million to Panama




Surprising Fact:
Manuel Noriega used
to be a major ally to
the US, and he
received intelligence
and
counterintelligence
training from the CIA
Current Event
Manuel Noriega extradited to France after
spending over 20 years in prison in the US.
He was finished his sentence in 2007, but remained
in prison
He is being charged with laundering $7 million of
drug profits through French banks
If convicted, he could face up to 10 more years in
prison
He asked to be sent back to Panama, but was
refused as a flight-risk
Ended up being convicted in France and
sentenced to 7 years, with an opportunity for
parole in 1 year
However, he still have a chance of being
extradited to Panama to face even more charges
and more time in prison



Work Cited
http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idb/country.php
http://www.prb.org/Datafinder/Topic/Bar.aspx?sort=v&order=d&variable=28
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/pm.html
http://panamarealestateinvestment.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/panamax_container_ship.jpg
http://zonian65.homestead.com/Panama_beer.jpg
http://www.bestpanamacitybeachcondo.com/images/Fish17%2008.JPG
http://panamarealestateinvestment.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/800px-bananas.jpg
http://www.skyscraperlife.com/latin-bar/19571-gran-colombia-2.html
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2030.htm
http://www.countriesquest.com/central_america/panama/people/ethnic_groups.htm
http://www.panamaresorts.com/maps/Images/PanamaMap-EthnicComposition.jpg
http://www.eclipse.co.uk/~sl5763/panama.htm
http://centralamerica.com/panama/graphics/mapcanal.gif
http://www.notablebiographies.com/Ni-Pe/Noriega-Manuel.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/07/manuel-noriega-jail-france
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/images/panama-canal-expansion-image3.jpg
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/07/01/18605005.php
http://www.info-panama.com/panama-gallery/index.php