GEOGRAPHY
Location: Middle
America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North
Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica
Map
references: Central America and the Caribbean
comparative
area: slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land
boundaries: total 555 km, Colombia 225 km, Costa Rica
330 km
International
disputes: none
Climate: tropical;
hot, humid, cloudy; prolonged rainy season (May to January),
short dry season (January to May)
Terrain: interior
mostly steep, rugged mountains and dissected, upland plains;
coastal areas largely plains and rolling hills
Natural
resources: copper, mahogany forests, shrimp
meadows
and pastures: 15%
Irrigated
land: 320 sq km (1989 est.)
current
issues: water pollution from agricultural runoff threatens
fishery resources; deforestation of tropical rain forest;
land degradation
international
agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands;
signed, but not ratified - Climate Change, Law of the Sea,
Marine Life Conservation, Tropical Timber 94
Note: 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
