Geography |
The Republic of Panama is the most southerly country in Central America. It is bounded on the north by the Caribbean Sea, on the east by Colombia, on the south by the Pacific Ocean and on the west by Costa Rica. It covers an area of 75 520 km2.
There is a spine running down the whole of the Panama isthmus in the form of a central mountain range, starting in the west in Costa Rica, reaching heights of about 3 000 m (Mounts Picacho and Santiago) and decreasing to low mountains at the Panama Canal. On the other side of the canal, the ground rises again, forming the Portobello and San Blas mountains, but elevations do not exceed 1 000 m.
The Baru volcano at 3 475 m, Panama's highest point, is found near the border with Costa Rica on the western Pacific coast. The Azuero chain and the Palmas mountains do not rise above 1 600 m. The Darien hills (800 m) lie east of the canal, stretching to the Pacific coast, while the San Blas mountains continue as far as Colombia in the border mountains, forming an arc.
Most of Panama has a hot, humid tropical climate, with cooler temperatures at higher elevations. Prevailing winds carry moisture from the Caribbean Sea to the northern coast, making it wetter than the Pacific side. The northern slopes of the mountains receive an average of 2 970 mm of rain a year, mostly during the wet season from May to December. Pacific winds bring drier air to the southern coast, which receives up to 1 650 mm a year. The average temperatures in coastal areas are 23° to 27° C; at higher elevations they average about 19° C.
The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.