ment and
other construction materials, sugar milling

Industrial production growth rate: 0.4% (1995 est.)

Electricity--production: 3.55 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 29.58%
hydro: 70.42%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)

Electricity--consumption: 3.488 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 157 million kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 95 million kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: bananas, rice, corn, coffee, sugarcane,
vegetables; livestock; shrimp

Exports: $6.68 billion (f.o.b., 1997)

Exports--commodities: bananas 43%, shrimp 11%, sugar 4%, clothing
5%, coffee 2%

Exports--partners: US 37%, EU, Central America and Caribbean

Imports: $7.38 billion (f.o.b., 1997)

Imports--commodities: capital goods 21%, crude oil 11%, foodstuffs
9%, consumer goods, chemicals

Imports--partners: US 48%, EU, Central America and Caribbean, Japan

Debt--external: $7.26 billion (1996 est.)

Economic aid--recipient: $197.1 million (1995)

Currency: 1 balboa (B) = 100 centesimos

Exchange rates: balboas (B) per US$1--1.000 (fixed rate)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: 273,000 (1991 est.)

Telephone system: domestic and international facilities well
developed
domestic: NA
international: 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth stations--2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to the Central American
Microwave System

Radio broadcast stations: AM 91, FM 0, shortwave 0

Radios: 564,000 (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 9 (in addition, there are 17
repeaters) (1997)

Televisions: 420,000 (1992 est.)

Transportation

Railways:
total: 355 km
broad gauge: 76 km 1.524-m gauge
narrow gauge: 279 km 0.914-m gauge

Highways:
total: 11,100 km
paved: 3,730 km (including 30 km of expressways)
unpaved: 7,370 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: 800 km navigable by shallow draft vessels; 82 km
Panama Canal

Pipelines: crude oil 130 km

Ports and harbors: Balboa, Cristobal, Coco Solo, Manzanillo (part
of Colon area), Vacamonte

Merchant marine:
total: 4,632 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 98,433,972
GRT/149,800,820 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1,335, cargo 1,028, chemical tanker 288,
combination bulk 68, combination ore/oil 15, container 507,
liquefied gas tanker 176, livestock carrier 9, multifunction
large-load carrier 6, oil tanker 498, passenger 41, passenger-cargo