Geography of Panama
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Continent | North America |
---|---|
Region | Caribbean |
Coordinates | 9°00′N 80°00′W / 9.000°N 80.000°W |
Area | Ranked 116th |
• Total | 75,417 km2 (29,119 sq mi) |
• Land | 98.57% |
• Water | 1.43% |
Coastline | 2,490 km (1,550 mi) |
Borders | Total border: 555 km (345 mi) |
Highest point | Volcán Barú 3,475 metres (11,401 ft) |
Lowest point | Pacific Ocean 0 metres (0 ft) |
Longest river | Chucunaque River 231 km (144 mi) |
Largest lake | Gatun Lake 425 km2 (164 sq mi) |
Exclusive economic zone | 335,646 km2 (129,594 sq mi) |
Panama is a country located in Caribbean, 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 (29,119 sq mi). It is 772 km (480 mi) long, and between 60 and 177 kilometers (37 and 110 miles) wide.
Geology
The Cocos and Nazca plates formed in the
The center of the isthmus, from
The combination of these forces produced the Isthmus of Panama and resulted in different
In the remote southeastern
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.[5]
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 3,475 meters (11,401 ft). Volcán Barú (or Volcán de Chiriquí) last erupted in 1550[6] 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
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 24 °C (75.2 °F) and the afternoon maximum 29 °C (84.2 °F). The temperature seldom exceeds 32 °C (89.6 °F) 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.
Climatic regions are determined less on the basis of temperature than on rainfall, which varies regionally from less than 1,300 millimeters (51.2 in) to more than 3,000 millimeters (118.1 in) 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.
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
Examples
Climate data for Panama City (1971–2000) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 31.7 (89.1) |
31.7 (89.1) |
32.2 (90.0) |
32.2 (90.0) |
31.1 (88.0) |
30.6 (87.1) |
30.6 (87.1) |
30.6 (87.1) |
30.0 (86.0) |
29.4 (84.9) |
30.0 (86.0) |
30.6 (87.1) |
31.0 (87.8) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 28.1 (82.6) |
28.1 (82.6) |
28.6 (83.5) |
28.9 (84.0) |
28.3 (82.9) |
27.8 (82.0) |
27.8 (82.0) |
27.8 (82.0) |
27.2 (81.0) |
27.0 (80.6) |
27.2 (81.0) |
27.5 (81.5) |
28.1 (82.6) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 24.4 (75.9) |
24.4 (75.9) |
25.0 (77.0) |
25.6 (78.1) |
25.6 (78.1) |
25.0 (77.0) |
25.0 (77.0) |
25.0 (77.0) |
24.4 (75.9) |
24.4 (75.9) |
24.4 (75.9) |
24.4 (75.9) |
24.8 (76.6) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 29.3 (1.15) |
10.1 (0.40) |
13.1 (0.52) |
64.7 (2.55) |
225.1 (8.86) |
235.0 (9.25) |
168.5 (6.63) |
219.9 (8.66) |
253.9 (10.00) |
330.7 (13.02) |
252.3 (9.93) |
104.6 (4.12) |
1,907.2 (75.09) |
Average rainy days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 2.9 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 4.9 | 15.0 | 16.0 | 14.0 | 15.0 | 17.0 | 20.0 | 16.0 | 7.5 | 131.0 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 228.9 | 245.2 | 183.9 | 173.1 | 108.5 | 116.3 | 106.1 | 118.1 | 99.2 | 103.9 | 139.8 | 120.5 | 1,743.5 |
Source 1: World Meteorological Organization[7] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: ETESA (sunshine data recorded at Albrook Field)[8] |
Climate data for David, Chiriquí | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 32.2 (90.0) |
33.3 (91.9) |
33.9 (93.0) |
33.3 (91.9) |
31.7 (89.1) |
31.1 (88.0) |
30.6 (87.1) |
30.6 (87.1) |
30.6 (87.1) |
30.0 (86.0) |
30.0 (86.0) |
31.1 (88.0) |
31.5 (88.7) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 21.7 (71.1) |
22.2 (72.0) |
22.8 (73.0) |
23.3 (73.9) |
23.3 (73.9) |
23.3 (73.9) |
23.3 (73.9) |
22.8 (73.0) |
22.8 (73.0) |
22.8 (73.0) |
22.8 (73.0) |
22.2 (72.0) |
22.8 (73.0) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 33.3 (1.31) |
19.3 (0.76) |
35.5 (1.40) |
102.5 (4.04) |
297.0 (11.69) |
322.6 (12.70) |
289.8 (11.41) |
340.3 (13.40) |
406.6 (16.01) |
400.5 (15.77) |
295.4 (11.63) |
77.4 (3.05) |
2,620.2 (103.17) |
Average relative humidity (%)
|
67.7 | 62.6 | 62.4 | 69.6 | 79.5 | 81.1 | 80.4 | 81.1 | 82.1 | 83.8 | 82.8 | 75.5 | 75.7 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 275.5 | 262.0 | 270.5 | 216.2 | 160.4 | 128.3 | 141.1 | 148.6 | 135.4 | 139.5 | 154.5 | 218.7 | 2,250.7 |
Source 1: World Meteorological Organisation (UN) (30 yr record),[9]
| |||||||||||||
Source 2: ETESA (humidity and sun values)[10] |
Climate data for Colón | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29 (84) |
29 (84) |
29 (85) |
30 (86) |
31 (87) |
30 (86) |
29 (85) |
29 (85) |
31 (87) |
30 (86) |
29 (84) |
29 (84) |
29 (85) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 24 (76) |
24 (76) |
24 (76) |
25 (77) |
24 (76) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
23 (74) |
23 (74) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 110 (4.3) |
51 (2.0) |
36 (1.4) |
94 (3.7) |
270 (10.8) |
370 (14.5) |
420 (16.5) |
420 (16.4) |
290 (11.5) |
470 (18.4) |
620 (24.4) |
320 (12.6) |
3,471 (136.5) |
Source: Weatherbase[11] |
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
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 160 km (99 mi) along the sheltered Caribbean coastline.
The major port on the Pacific coastline is
The Pacific coastal waters are extraordinarily shallow. Depths of 180 metres (591 ft) are reached only outside the perimeters of both the Gulf of Panama and the Golfo de Chiriquí, and wide mud flats extend up to 70 km (43 mi) seaward from the coastlines. As a consequence, the tidal range is extreme. A variation of about 70 centimetres (2.3 ft) between high and low water on the Caribbean coast contrasts sharply with over 700 cm (23 ft) on the Pacific coast, and some 130 km (81 mi) up the Río Tuira, the tidal range is still over 500 cm (16 ft). 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.[12]
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
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
Administrative divisions
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
This article may need to be rewritten to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards, as section. (December 2020) |
Geographic coordinates: 9°00′N 80°00′W / 9.000°N 80.000°W
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:
12 nautical miles (22 kilometres)
contiguous zone:
24 nautical miles (44 kilometres)
exclusive economic zone:
335,646 km2 (129,594 sq mi) and 200 nautical miles (370 kilometres) or edge of continental margin
Climate:
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:
Westernmost point: Border with Costa Rica, Chiriquí Province
Easternmost point: Border with
Natural resources:
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:
; air pollution in urban areas; mining threatens natural resourcesEnvironment - international agreements:
party to:
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.
References
- S2CID 130132647.
- .
- ^ A. G. Coates, D. F. McNeill, M-P. Aubry, W. A. Berggren, L. S. Collins (2005). "An Introduction to the Geology of the Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama" (PDF). Caribbean Journal of Science. 41 (3): 374–391. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - doi:10.1130/B25275.1.
- .
- ^ "Barú". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
- ^ "World Weather Information Service – Panama City". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
- ^ "Datos Históricos : Estación Albrook Field" (in Spanish). Empresa de Transmisión Eléctrica S.A. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
- ^ "World Weather Information Service – David". World Meteorological Organization. Archived from the original on October 28, 2012. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
- ^ "Datos Historicos- Hidrometeorologica de ETESA". ETESA. Archived from the original on October 9, 2012. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
- ^ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Colon, Panama". Weatherbase. 2011. Retrieved on November 24, 2011.
- S2CID 56481043.
- This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Country Studies. Federal Research Division.
- This article incorporates public domain material from The World Factbook. CIA.