ratic Party or PDC)

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Chamber of Commerce; National Civic Crusade; National Council of
Organized Workers or CONATO; National Council of Private Enterprise
or CONEP; National Union of Construction and Similar Workers
(SUNTRACS); Panamanian Association of Business Executives or APEDE;
Panamanian Industrialists Society or SIP; Workers Confederation of
the Republic of Panama or CTRP

International organization participation:

BCIE, CAN (observer), CSN (observer), FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA
(observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UN Security
Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO,
UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Federico HUMBERT Arias
chancery: 2862 McGill Terrace NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 483-1407
FAX: [1] (202) 483-8416
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Honolulu, Houston, Miami, New
Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, San Juan
(Puerto Rico), Tampa

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador William A. EATON
embassy: Edificio 783, Avenida Demetrio Basilio Lakas Panama,
Apartado Postal 0816-02561, Zona 5, Panama City
mailing address: American Embassy Panama, Unit 0945, APO AA 34002
telephone: [507] 207-7000
FAX: [507] 317-5568

Flag description:

divided into four, equal rectangles; the top quadrants are white
(hoist side) with a blue five-pointed star in the center and plain
red; the bottom quadrants are plain blue (hoist side) and white with
a red five-pointed star in the center

Economy
Panama

Economy - overview:

Panama's dollarized economy rests primarily on a well-developed
services sector that accounts for two-thirds of GDP. Services
include operating the Panama Canal, banking, the Colon Free Zone,
insurance, container ports, flagship registry, and tourism. Economic
growth will be bolstered by the Panama Canal expansion project that
began in 2007 and should be completed by 2014 at a cost of $5.3
billion (about 30% of current GDP). The expansion project will more
than double the Canal's capacity, enabling it to accommodate ships
that are now too large to transverse the transoceanic crossway and
should help to reduce the high unemployment