Geography & environment — Panama
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Geography & environment at a glance
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources. Key figure for Panama: Central America
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Location & size
- Geographic Location
Central America
- Geographic Coordinates
9 00 N, 80 00 W
- Total Area
29,120 Square Miles 75,420 Square Kilometers
- Land Area
28,703 Square Miles 74,340 Square Kilometers
- Water Area
417 Square Miles 1,080 Square Kilometers
- Land Boundaries
345 Miles 555 Kilometers
- Border Countries
Colombia 225 km, Costa Rica 330 km
- Coastline
1,547 Miles 2,490 Kilometers
Physical geography
- Terrain
interior mostly steep, rugged mountains and dissected, upland plains; coastal areas largely plains and rolling hills
- Highest Point
3,475 Meters
- Highest Point Location
Volcan de Chiriqui 3,475 m
- Lowest Point Location
Pacific Ocean 0 m
- Natural Resources
copper, mahogany forests, shrimp, hydropower
- Irrigated Land
134 Square Miles 346 Square Kilometers
Climate & time
- Time Zone
UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Climate
- Climate
- tropical maritime
- 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
- Location
Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica
- Total Area
29,120 Square Miles 75,420 Square Kilometers
- Border Countries
Colombia 225 km, Costa Rica 330 km
Environment
- Environment - Current Issues
water pollution from agricultural runoff threatens fishery resources
deforestation of tropical rain forest
land degradation and soil erosion threatens siltation of Panama Canal
air pollution in urban areas
mining threatens natural resources
- Environment - International Agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation