Best Countries

Important facts

Capital: Panama (See more on SIMPLYYELLOWPAGES.COM)

Official language: Spanish

Currency: Balboa

Continent: Central North America

Vacation in Panama

The land of the Chiquita bananas offers space for exotic adventures between the Panama Canal and the rainforest.

A highlight is a visit every Panamurlaubs and best also equal Befahrung of 1914 opened the Panama Canal. The canal cuts through the strait of Panama and thus connects the eastern Atlantic with the Pacific. It runs for almost 82 kilometers from Colón on the Atlantic coast to Panama City on the Pacific Ocean.

Panama City

According to Countryaah, the Panamanian capital has an impressive skyline from the canal. The skyscrapers stand next to the colonial old town with its numerous cafes, magnificent palaces and bars, which are definitely lively in the evenings.

The Panama hat

The Genuine Panama Hat, which is available everywhere, is made exclusively in Ecuador. And that since the 17th century. But it is really worn in Panama. It is made from fine toquilla straw, the Panama hat plant. The thinner the fibers, the more complex the manual processing and the more expensive the hat. This dollar hats 1000 have then, however, except the form nothing more with the on the road available 20 dollar copies for Gringos together.

Bocas del Toro island paradise

More than 300 islands of different sizes make up the Bocas del Toro island world in the west of Pananma. Life on the main island of Colón is relaxed and friendly. The colorful wooden houses were once built by the Chiquita group for the families of its workers. The surrounding small mangrove islands convince with dream beaches of white sand and turquoise blue sea. Also wonderful for snorkeling. The symbol of the rainforest is the somewhat shy toucan bird.

Native people

The Kuna live on the San Blas Islands in northeastern Panama. The self-confident Indian people market themselves. Anyone wishing to visit an island needs the consent of the village council. The traditional dances and colorful costumes can be admired and – for a fee – also photographed. Typical dishes are fish, bananas and the tuberous yucca. The women make colorful molas, small fabric pictures on blouses with geometric or animal motifs.

In the province of Darién tour operators offer dugout trips to the somewhat more adapted Emberá Iniandern.

Panama tips

The best time to travel is in the dry season between mid-December and April. The temperature in the lowlands reaches 22 to 32 ° C all year round, in the mountains it is still 10 to 18 degrees. By Latin American standards, Panama is a safe travel destination. Nevertheless, travelers should exercise caution, especially in the big cities. A beer costs around a dollar and a meal in a tourist middle-class restaurant costs around 10 dollars. The local currency, Balboa, is linked to the dollar rate. Panama borders the natural paradises Costa Rica and Colombia.

Currency

Currency (sub-unit)

Balboa (100 Centesimos)

ISO 4217 code

PAB / 590

Geography

Continent: North America

Region: medium

Geo coordinates: N 8 ° 32 ‘16.7 ” W -80 ° -46’ -55.7″

Highest mountain: Vulcan de Chriqui (3,475 m)

Total area: 78,200 km²

Mainland: 75,990 km²

National border: 555 km

Coastline: 2,490 km

Politics

Dependency: Colombia until 1903

UN member since: 1945

Other political affiliation: Organization of American States

Form of government: Presidential Republic

Economy

Export goods: Bananas, petroleum derivatives

BSP: $ 18,944,000,000

GDP: $ 18,972,000,000

GDP purchasing power parity: $ 25.120 million

Economic growth: 6.2%

GDP share of agriculture: 6.1%

GDP share of industry: 16%

GDP share of services: 77.9%

Inflation rate: 3.2%

Unemployment: 8.9%

State budget revenue: $ 3882 billion

State budget expenditure: $ 4294967295

National debt: 62.1%

Export: $ 8,253,000,000

Import: $ 9,342,000,000

Foreign debt: $ 10,886,000,000

Gold and currency reserves: $ 1,349,000,000

Electricity consumption: 5,560 million KWh

Oil consumption: 90,000 million m³

Cultivation area: 9.19%

Bovine: 1,634,000 pieces

Pigs: 314,000 pieces

Fishing: 267,000 t

Demographic data

Residents: 3,191,400

Residents in cities: 1,722,000

Average age: 26.1 years

0-14 years: 30.3%

15-64 years: 63.4%

> 65 years: 6.3%

Population growth: 1.6%

Birth rate: 21.74 / 1,000 residents

Death rate: 5.36 / 1,000 residents

Migration: -0.4 / 1,000 residents

Ratio men / women: 1.02

Fertility: 2.68 children / woman

Infant mortality: 16.37 ‰

Life expectancy men: 72.68 years

Life expectancy women: 77.87 years

Country codes and abbreviations

ISO 3166 Alpha 2: PA

ISO 3166 Alpha 3: PAN

ISO 3166 numeric: 591

Top Level Domain: pa

IOC country code: PAN

UN / LOCODE: PA

Source: Abbreviationfinder

Communication

Telephone connections: 478,000

Cell Phones: 1,220,000

Radios: 1,054,000

TV: 730,000

Computer: 160,000

Internet users: 360,000

Transportation

Railway lines: 355 km

Paved roads: 4,632 km

of which expressways: 30 km

Cars: 337,000

Merchant fleet (ships over 1,000 GRT): 5,473

Health

Number of doctors: 4,720

Daily food intake: 2,410 kcal / resident

HIV- infected people: 16,800

Education

Illiteracy: 7%

History

Foundation: 1903

Last sovereign since: 1903

Religion

Main religious group: Christians

Crime

Prison inmates: 11,400

Defense Spending: $ 153,000,000

GETTING THERE

Arriving by plane

Panama’s national airline is COPA – Compañía Panameña de Aviación (CM) (Internet: www.copaair.com).
No direct flights from Zurich and Vienna, cheap connections via Miami.

Lufthansa (LH) flies from Frankfurt to Panama City.

Condor (DE) flies from Frankfurt to Panama City.

KLM flies daily from Amsterdam to Panama City.

Air France (AF) flies three times a week from Paris to Panama City.

Iberia (Internet: www.iberia.de) flies from Madrid to Panama City.

Air passes

The All America Airpass (Internet: www.allairpass.com/) offers a flexible coupon system for travel to Latin and North America. It is valid on over 1,500 routes of the over 30 participating airlines, regardless of the choice of transatlantic carrier. There is no minimum purchase of flight coupons; any combination of airlines, routes and stops within the All America Airpass travel zone. There is no minimum stay, the pass is valid for 1 year. The maximum length of stay is 90 days from the use of the first flight coupon. Passengers must reconfirm all booked flights at least 72 hours before the next flight. Change of flight day and flight number is possible, rerouting is not permitted. The routing must be specified at the time of purchase. Rerouting and rerouting are not permitted. No reimbursement is possible after the start of the trip. Cancellation costs US $ 60 prior to departure. The pass may only be sold to people with permanent residence outside the Caribbean, USA, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America. Airport taxes are not included in the ticket price and must be paid on site.
Further information from Saspo Touristik, An der Trift 65, D-63303 Dreieich. Tel: (06103) 987 90. Fax: (06103) 98 79 99. (E-Mail: [email protected] ; Internet: www.saspo.de).

Departure fee

US $ 20. Transit travelers and children under two years of age are exempt from this.

Arrival by car

The Panamericana road runs from Costa Rica to Panamá. Long-
distance bus: Ticabus buses (Internet: www.ticabus.com/ingles.php) connect Panama with Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala.
Note: There are high security risks in the border area with Colombia. It is strongly advised not to stay in the jungle province of Darién and you are warned not to attempt to cross it in the direction of Colombia. In addition, contrary to the information on various maps, there is no road connection to Colombia, but only jungle paths that can only be mastered on foot.

Arriving by train

There are currently no international rail connections to Panama.

Arrival by ship

The Panama Canal is the main transport link between the Atlantic and the Pacific. The main ports of Panama, which are located at the ends of the Panama Canal, are Cristobal and Balboa. Other ports include Fort Amador (Internet: www.fuerteamador.com) and the Colon Cruise Port (Internet: www.colon2000.com).

Many cruise, passenger and cargo ships call at the major ports. The following cruise lines call Panama: Princess (Internet: www.princess.com), American Canadian (Internet: www.accl-smallships.com/index.cfm), Royal Caribbean International(Internet: www.royalcaribbean.com) and Celebrity (Internet: www.celebrity.com).

Note on arrival by ship

Anyone who enters or leaves Panama privately as a tourist with a yacht, catamaran or other type of boat must pay an entry fee (approx. 100 €) and observe a number of special provisions that can be requested from the responsible migration authority at the port of landing.

ON THE GO

Traveling by plane

The smaller commercial airports are Aeropuerto Marcos A. Gelabert (PAC) in Paitilla and Enrique Maleck (DAV) in David, Chiriquí. The regional airlines Aeroperlas (Internet: www.aeroperlas.com) and Aerotaxi connect Panamá with all other centers inland. Helipan offers tours by helicopter (Internet: www.helipan.com).

On the way by car / bus

The Trans-Isthman-Highway connects Panamá with Colón. Bus routes run almost everywhere in the country, but the service is sometimes quite slow. Bus rides are quite cheap in Panama. Taxis do not have a meter and fares should be agreed in advance. Rental cars are available in the cities and at the airports. The minimum age for renting a car is 23-25 years. Documents: National driver’s license is valid for a maximum of 3 months in Panama.

Traveling in the city

In Panamá City there is a large network of buses and minibuses with unit fares as well as the Metro de Panama subway (Internet: www.elmetrodepanama.com). At the entrance of most buses there are turnstiles into which you have to insert coins. Buses generally run between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m.

On the go by train

Passenger trains of the Panama Canal Railway Company (Internet: www.panarail.com) travel across the country from Panama City to Colón.