Maldives (2007) | Panama (2001) | |
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Administrative divisions | 19 atolls (atholhu, singular and plural) and the capital city*; Alifu, Baa, Dhaalu, Faafu, Gaafu Alifu, Gaafu Dhaalu, Gnaviyani, Haa Alifu, Haa Dhaalu, Kaafu, Laamu, Lhaviyani, Maale* (Male), Meemu, Noonu, Raa, Seenu, Shaviyani, Thaa, Vaavu | 9 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and one territory* (comarca); Bocas del Toro, Chiriqui, Cocle, Colon, Darien, Herrera, Los Santos, Panama, San Blas*, and Veraguas |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 42.9% (male 81,383/female 76,984)
15-64 years: 54% (male 101,699/female 97,518) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 5,619/female 5,828) (2007 est.) |
0-14 years:
30.13% (male 436,661; female 420,625) 15-64 years: 63.86% (male 920,787; female 896,520) 65 years and over: 6.01% (male 81,682; female 89,372) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | coconuts, corn, sweet potatoes; fish | bananas, rice, corn, coffee, sugarcane, vegetables; livestock; shrimp |
Airports | 5 (2007) | 107 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007) |
total:
42 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 22 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007) |
total:
65 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 52 (2000 est.) |
Area | total: 300 sq km
land: 300 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total:
78,200 sq km land: 75,990 sq km water: 2,210 sq km |
Area - comparative | about 1.7 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly smaller than South Carolina |
Background | The Maldives was long a sultanate, first under Dutch and then under British protection. It became a republic in 1968, three years after independence. Since 1978, President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM - currently in his sixth term in office - has dominated the islands' political scene. Following riots in the capital Male in August 2004, the president and his government pledged to embark upon democratic reforms, including a more representative political system and expanded political freedoms. Progress has been slow, however, and many promised reforms have been delayed indefinitely. Tourism and fishing are being developed on the archipelago. | With US backing, Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903 and promptly signed a treaty with the US allowing for the construction of a canal and US sovereignty over a strip of land on either side of the structure (the Panama Canal Zone). The Panama Canal was built by the US Army Corps of Engineers between 1904 and 1914. On 7 September 1977, an agreement was signed for the complete transfer of the Canal from the US to Panama by the end of 1999. Certain portions of the Zone and increasing responsibility over the Canal were turned over in the intervening years. With US help, dictator Manuel NORIEGA was deposed in 1989. The entire Panama Canal, the area supporting the Canal, and remaining US military bases were turned over to Panama by or on 31 December 1999. |
Birth rate | 34.2 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 19.06 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $508 million (including foreign grants)
expenditures: $671 million (2006 est.) |
revenues:
$2.8 billion expenditures: $2.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $471 million (2000 est.) |
Capital | name: Male
geographic coordinates: 4 10 N, 73 30 E time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Panama |
Climate | tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August) | tropical maritime; hot, humid, cloudy; prolonged rainy season (May to January), short dry season (January to May) |
Coastline | 644 km | 2,490 km |
Constitution | adopted 1 January 1998 | 11 October 1972; major reforms adopted 1978, 1983 and 1994 |
Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Maldives
conventional short form: Maldives local long form: Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa local short form: Dhivehi Raajje |
conventional long form:
Republic of Panama conventional short form: Panama local long form: Republica de Panama local short form: Panama |
Currency | - | balboa (PAB); US dollar (USD) |
Death rate | 6.88 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 4.95 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $482 million (2006 est.) | $7.56 billion (2000 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | the US does not have an embassy in Maldives; the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka is accredited to Maldives and makes periodic visits there | chief of mission:
Ambassador Simon FERRO embassy: Avenida Balboa and Calle 37, Apartado 6959, Panama City 5 mailing address: American Embassy Panama, Unit 0945, APO AA 34002 telephone: [507] 207-7000 FAX: [507] 227-1964 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Mohamed LATHEEF
chancery: 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400E, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 599-6195 FAX: [1] (212) 661-6405 |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Alfredo BOYD chancery: 2862 McGill Terrace NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-1407 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Tampa |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $66.83 million (2005) | $197.1 million (1995) |
Economy - overview | Tourism, Maldives' largest industry, accounts for 28% of GDP and more than 60% of the Maldives' foreign exchange receipts. Over 90% of government tax revenue comes from import duties and tourism-related taxes. Fishing is the second leading sector. Agriculture and manufacturing continue to play a lesser role in the economy, constrained by the limited availability of cultivable land and the shortage of domestic labor. Most staple foods must be imported. Industry, which consists mainly of garment production, boat building, and handicrafts, accounts for about 7% of GDP. The Maldivian Government began an economic reform program in 1989 initially by lifting import quotas and opening some exports to the private sector. Subsequently, it has liberalized regulations to allow more foreign investment. Real GDP growth averaged over 7.5% per year for more than a decade. In late December 2004, a major tsunami left more than 100 dead, 12,000 displaced, and property damage exceeding $300 million. As a result of the tsunami, the GDP contracted by about 3.6% in 2005. A rebound in tourism, post-tsunami reconstruction, and development of new resorts helped boost GDP by about 18 percent in 2006. The trade deficit has expanded sharply as a result of high oil prices and imports of construction material. Diversifying beyond tourism and fishing is the major challenge facing the government. Over the longer term Maldivian authorities worry about the impact of erosion and possible global warming on their low-lying country; 80% of the area is one meter or less above sea level. | Panama's economy is based primarily on a well-developed services sector that accounts for three-fourths of GDP. Services include the Panama Canal, banking, the Colon Free Zone, insurance, container ports, flagship registry, and tourism. A slump in Colon Free Zone and agricultural exports, high oil prices, and the withdrawal of US military forces held back economic growth in 2000. The government plans public works programs, tax reforms, and new regional trade agreements in order to stimulate growth in 2001. |
Electricity - consumption | 157.1 million kWh (2005) | 4.049 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2005) | 95 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2005) | 40 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | 169 million kWh (2005) | 4.413 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel:
27.78% hydro: 71.65% nuclear: 0% other: 0.57% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Wilingili island in the Addu Atoll 2.4 m |
lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Volcan de Chiriqui 3,475 m |
Environment - current issues | depletion of freshwater aquifers threatens water supplies; global warming and sea level rise; coral reef bleaching | water pollution from agricultural runoff threatens fishery resources; deforestation of tropical rain forest; land degradation and soil erosion threatens siltation of Panama Canal |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation |
Ethnic groups | South Indians, Sinhalese, Arabs | mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 70%, Amerindian and mixed (West Indian) 14%, white 10%, Amerindian 6% |
Exchange rates | rufiyaa per US dollar - 12.8 (2006), 12.8 (2005), 12.8 (2004), 12.8 (2003), 12.8 (2002) | balboas per US dollar - 1.000 (fixed rate) |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM (since 11 November 1978); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM (since 11 November 1978) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president nominated by the Majlis; nomination must be ratified by a national referendum (at least a 51% approval margin is required); president elected for a five-year term; election last held 17 October 2003 (next to be held in 2008) election results: President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM reelected in referendum held 17 October 2003; percent of popular vote - Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM 90.3% |
chief of state:
President Mireya Elisa MOSCOSO Rodriguez (since 1 September 1999); First Vice President Arturo Ulises VALLARINO (since 1 September 1999); Second Vice President Dominador "Kaiser" Baldonero BAZAN Jimenez (since 1 September 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Mireya Elisa MOSCOSO Rodriguez (since 1 September 1999); First Vice President Arturo Ulises VALLARINO (since 1 September 1999); Second Vice President Dominador "Kaiser" Baldonero BAZAN Jimenez (since 1 September 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president and vice presidents elected on the same ticket by popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 2 May 1999 (next to be held NA May 2004) election results: Mireya Elisa MOSCOSO Rodriguez elected president; percent of vote - Mireya Elisa MOSCOSO Rodriguez (PA) 44%, Martin TORRIJOS (PRD) 37% note: government coalition - PA, MOLIRENA, Democratic Change, MORENA, PLN, PS |
Exports | NA bbl/day | $5.7 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
Exports - commodities | fish | bananas, shrimp, sugar, coffee, clothing |
Exports - partners | Thailand 33.1%, UK 14.3%, Sri Lanka 11.9%, Japan 10.3%, France 6.9%, Algeria 6.1% (2006) | US 42%, Germany 11%, Costa Rica 5%, Benelux 4%, Italy 4% (1999) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | red with a large green rectangle in the center bearing a vertical white crescent; the closed side of the crescent is on the hoist side of the flag | divided into four, equal rectangles; the top quadrants are white (hoist side) with a blue five-pointed star in the center and plain red; the bottom quadrants are plain blue (hoist side) and white with a red five-pointed star in the center |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $16.6 billion (2000 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 16%
industry: 7% services: 77% (2006 est.) |
agriculture:
7% industry: 16.5% services: 76.5% (1999 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $6,000 (2000 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 18% (2006 est.) | 2.5% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 3 15 N, 73 00 E | 9 00 N, 80 00 W |
Geography - note | 1,190 coral islands grouped into 26 atolls (200 inhabited islands, plus 80 islands with tourist resorts); archipelago with strategic location astride and along major sea lanes in Indian Ocean | strategic location on eastern end of isthmus forming land bridge connecting North and South America; controls Panama Canal that links North Atlantic Ocean via Caribbean Sea with North Pacific Ocean |
Highways | - | total:
11,592 km paved: 4,079 km (including 30 km of expressways) unpaved: 7,513 km (2000) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%:
1.2% highest 10%: 35.7% (1997) |
Illicit drugs | - | major cocaine transshipment point and major drug money-laundering center; no recent signs of coca cultivation; monitoring of financial transactions is improving; official corruption remains a major problem; Panama was cited by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) an international organization that includes the US Government, for its lack of cooperation in the fight against international money laundering |
Imports | NA bbl/day | $6.9 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
Imports - commodities | petroleum products, ships, foodstuffs, clothing, intermediate and capital goods | capital goods, crude oil, foodstuffs, consumer goods, chemicals |
Imports - partners | Singapore 23.2%, UAE 15.8%, India 11.1%, Malaysia 7.9%, Thailand 6.9%, Sri Lanka 5.7% (2006) | US 39%, Colon Free Zone 14%, Japan 8%, Ecuador 6%, Mexico 5% (1999) |
Independence | 26 July 1965 (from UK) | 3 November 1903 (from Colombia; became independent from Spain 28 November 1821) |
Industrial production growth rate | -0.9% (2004 est.) | 2% (2000 est.) |
Industries | tourism, fish processing, shipping, boat building, coconut processing, garments, woven mats, rope, handicrafts, coral and sand mining | construction, petroleum refining, brewing, cement and other construction materials, sugar milling |
Infant mortality rate | total: 53.25 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 52.4 deaths/1,000 live births female: 54.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
20.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 6% (2005 est.) | 1.8% (2000 est.) |
International organization participation | AsDB, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO | CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 6 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA | 320 sq km (1993 est.) |
Judicial branch | High Court | Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (nine judges appointed for 10-year terms); five superior courts; three courts of appeal |
Labor force | 101,300 (2004) | 1.1 million (2000 est.)
note: shortage of skilled labor, but an oversupply of unskilled labor |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 22%
industry: 18% services: 60% (1995) |
agriculture 20.8%, industry 18%, services 61.2% (1995 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total:
555 km border countries: Colombia 225 km, Costa Rica 330 km |
Land use | arable land: 13.33%
permanent crops: 30% other: 56.67% (2005) |
arable land:
7% permanent crops: 2% permanent pastures: 20% forests and woodland: 44% other: 27% (1993 est.) |
Languages | Maldivian Dhivehi (dialect of Sinhala, script derived from Arabic), English spoken by most government officials | Spanish (official), English 14%
note: many Panamanians bilingual |
Legal system | based on Islamic law with admixtures of English common law primarily in commercial matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Justice; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
Legislative branch | unicameral People's Council or Majlis (50 seats; 42 members elected by popular vote, 8 appointed by the president; to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 22 January 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 50 |
unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa (71 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 2 May 1999 (next to be held NA May 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PRD 34, PA 18, PDC 5, PS 4, MOLIRENA 3, PLN 3, Democratic Change 2, PRC 1, MORENA 1 note: legislators from outlying rural districts are chosen on a plurality basis while districts located in more populous towns and cities elect multiple legislators by means of a proportion-based formula |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 64.76 years
male: 63.41 years female: 66.19 years (2007 est.) |
total population:
75.68 years male: 72.94 years female: 78.53 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96.3% male: 96.2% female: 96.4% (2000 census) |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 90.8% male: 91.4% female: 90.2% (1995 est.) |
Location | Southern Asia, group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India | Middle America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica |
Map references | Asia | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
contiguous zone:
24 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | total: 22 ships (1000 GRT or over) 85,935 GRT/114,054 DWT
by type: cargo 17, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 2 foreign-owned: 1 (Greece 1) registered in other countries: 2 (Panama 1, Tuvalu 1) (2007) |
total:
4,711 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 111,515,984 GRT/169,655,363 DWT ships by type: bulk 1,381, cargo 925, chemical tanker 314, combination bulk 71, combination ore/oil 18, container 525, liquefied gas 193, livestock carrier 5, multi-functional large-load carrier 12, passenger 41, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 544, railcar carrier 2, refrigerated cargo 297, roll on/roll off 106, short-sea passenger 36, specialized tanker 29, vehicle carrier 208 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Argentina 11, Australia 1, Austria 1, Bermuda 21, Belgium 4, The Bahamas 7, Brazil 2, Canada 4, China 154, Chile 4, Cayman Islands 1, Colombia 6, Cuba 7, Cyprus 4, Denmark 12, Egypt 8, Ireland 2, Equatorial Guinea 1, Finland 1, France 4, Germany 17, Greece 248, Hong Kong 158, Honduras 2, Croatia 3, Indonesia 40, India 11, Iran 1, Israel 3, Italy 7, Japan 1,007, Jordan 2, South Korea 223, Latvia 4, Lithuania 1, Liberia 2, Monaco 43, Malta 1, Mexico 5, Malaysia 6, Netherlands 6, Norway 36, Netherlands Antilles 1, Peru 5, Pakistan 1, Portugal 5, Philippines 10, Russia 6, Saudi Arabia 6, Seychelles 2, South Africa 5, Singapore 73, Spain 35, Sweden 4, Syria 11, Switzerland 53, UAE 11, Thailand 15, Taiwan 170, UK 18, US 79, Venezuela 18, Samoa 1 (2000 est.) |
Military - note | Maldives has no regular armed forces; the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) includes ground forces, the Coast Guard, and a small, undermanned air element; with its small size and with little servable equipment, the MNDF is inadequate to prevent external aggression and is primarily tasked to reinforce the Maldives Police Service (MPS) and ensure security in the exclusive economic zone (2007) | on 10 February 1990, the government of then President ENDARA abolished Panama's military and reformed the security apparatus by creating the Panamanian Public Forces; in October 1994, Panama's Legislative Assembly approved a constitutional amendment prohibiting the creation of a standing military force, but allowing the temporary establishment of special police units to counter acts of "external aggression" |
Military branches | Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF): Quick Reaction Force, Security Protection Group, Coast Guard (2007) | an amendment to the Constitution abolished the armed forces, but there are security forces (Panamanian Public Forces or PPF includes the Panamanian National Police, National Maritime Service, and National Air Service) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $128 million (FY99) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 5.5% (2005 est.) | 1.3% (FY99) |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49:
775,966 (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49:
530,916 (2001 est.) |
National holiday | Independence Day, 26 July (1965) | Independence Day, 3 November (1903) |
Nationality | noun: Maldivian(s)
adjective: Maldivian |
noun:
Panamanian(s) adjective: Panamanian |
Natural hazards | low level of islands makes them very sensitive to sea level rise | NA |
Natural resources | fish | copper, mahogany forests, shrimp, hydropower |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) | -1.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Pipelines | - | crude oil 130 km (2001) |
Political parties and leaders | Adhaalath (Justice) Party or AP [Abdul Majeed Abdul BARI]; Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (Maldivian People's Party) or DRP [Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM]; Islamic Democratic Party or IDP [Omar NASEER]; Maldivian Democratic Party or MDP [Mohamed NASHEED]; note - political parties were allowed to register in June 2005 | Arnulfista Party or PA [Mireya Elisa MOSCOSO Rodriguez]; Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Ruben AROSEMENA]; Civic Renewal Party or PRC [Serguei DE LA ROSA]; Democratic Change [Ricardo MARTINELLI]; Democratic Revolutionary Party or PRD [Martin TORRIJOS]; National Liberal Party or PLN [Raul ARANGO Gasteazopo]; National Renovation Movement or MORENA [Pedro VALLARINO Cox]; Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement or MOLIRENA [Ramon MORALES]; Solidarity Party or PS [Samuel LEWIS Galindo] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | various unregistered political parties | Chamber of Commerce; National Civic Crusade; National Council of Organized Workers or CONATO; National Union of Construction and Similar Workers (SUNTRACS); National Council of Private Enterprise or CONEP; Panamanian Association of Business Executives or APEDE; Panamanian Industrialists Society or SIP; Workers Confederation of the Republic of Panama or CTRP |
Population | 369,031 (July 2007 est.) | 2,845,647 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 21% (2004) | 37% (1999 est.) |
Population growth rate | 2.732% (2007 est.) | 1.3% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Balboa, Cristobal, Coco Solo, Manzanillo (part of Colon area), Vacamonte |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998) | AM 101, FM 134, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | - | 815,000 (1997) |
Railways | - | total:
355 km broad gauge: 76 km 1.524-m gauge narrow gauge: 279 km 0.914-m gauge |
Religions | Sunni Muslim | Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 15% |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.057 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.043 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.964 male(s)/female total population: 1.046 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
at birth:
1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | 21 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal and compulsory |
Telephone system | general assessment: telephone services have improved; each island now has at least 1 public telephone, and there are mobile cellular networks with expanding subscribership
domestic: interatoll communication through microwave links; all inhabited islands and resorts are connected with telephone and fax service international: country code - 960; satellite earth station - 3 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) |
general assessment:
domestic and international facilities well developed domestic: NA international: 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to the Central American Microwave System |
Telephones - main lines in use | 32,500 (2006) | 396,000 (1997) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 262,600 (2006) | 17,000 (1997) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (2006) | 38 (including repeaters) (1998) |
Terrain | flat, with white sandy beaches | interior mostly steep, rugged mountains and dissected, upland plains; coastal areas largely plains and rolling hills |
Total fertility rate | 4.78 children born/woman (2007 est.) | 2.27 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | NEGL% (2003 est.) | 13% (2000 est.) |
Waterways | - | 882 km
note: 800 km navigable by shallow draft vessels; 82 km Panama Canal |