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            PANAMA
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Panama is located at the
narrowest point in Central
America, where only 58km of
land separates the Caribbean
Sea from the Pacific Ocean,
and the Panama Canal provides
a major shipping route. The
climate is tropical, with high
temperatures throughout the
year. The country is heavily
forested, and very little is
cultivated. Rice is the staple
food, and hardwoods a main
export. The economy is heavily
dependent on the Canal as a
major foreign currency earner.

Area (Sq. Km.): 75,648

Population: 2,421,000

Capital: Panama City

Language:
Spanish

Religion:
Roman Catholic 93%
Protestant 6%

Government Type:
Centralized republic

Currency: Balboa

Embassy:
119 Crawford Street
London
W1H 1AF
0171-487-5633

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Foreign Office Advice:

Following the kidnapping in
January 1993 of three
missionaries in the Darien
jungle near the Columbian
border, travellers are advised
not to transit this area.

Violent assaults on tourists
have risen, particularly on or
near the Bridge of the
Americas, at the Pacific
entrance of the Canal.
Visitors should generally
exercise caution and leave
valuables in hotel safes.

Care should be taken at bus
stations, and when shopping in
downtown Panama City, where
teams of pickpockets and
muggers operate.

The outbreak of dengue fever
is mainly in and around the
capital. Tourists are advised
to use a recommended insect
repellent particularly in the
evenings when the mosquito
aedes aegypti, is most likely
to bite. Visitors should seek
medical advice about
inoculations before departure.

For more information ring:

 Foreign Office Travel Unit

       0171-270-4129