1. By: Steven Shapiro

2. The stars and quarters represent the rival political parties. Blue is conservative, red is liberal. White represents peace.

3. Panama is located in South America. It borders the Caribbean and Pacific ocean. Panama is located between Columbia, and Costa Rica. Panama at one time was part of Columbia, but with help from the United States, they soon became their own nation. Panama and the US signed a treaty allowing them to build the Canal together. Construction on the canal began in 1904 and was finished in 1914. However in 1999 the canal transferred to only ownership by Panama.

5. You can get a flight from Albuquerque to Panama City. There would however be many stops on the way (Albuquerque, to Dallas, to Miami, and finally Panama City). The average price for the ticket would be around $624 round trip. The average flight takes around 22 hours. Hotels can range from $60-$250 dollars per night. While you are there is many tourist attractions, from the Panama Canal, lakes (boating, fishing etc.), museums, historic churches.

6. The climate in Panama is Tropical. Temperatures typically don’t get much higher then 90 degrees Fahrenheit. However the humidity is very extreme. This is because of the amount of rainfall they receive. They get between 52 and 120 inches of rain annually. Majority of the rainfall happens during the rainy season (May thru November). Being close to the ocean it can get very windy.

7. Right now the economic situation in Panama is doing very well. They are one of the most economically stable countries in all of South America. Right now they are reconstructing the Panama Canal, which will cost them billions. There isn’t really a “main career” but a lot of the population has a job related to the Canal. Many work in the construction business. And of course there is people who work in the government.

8. The type of government that Panama currently uses is a constitutional democracy. Which is the same thing that is used in the United States. They have an Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branch to their government. They signed their constitution in 1973 and it has been revised several times since then.

9. In Panama their currency is Balboas. The exchange from Balboa to Dollar is 1:1 The exchange rate hasn’t changed since 1999

10. I don’t think I would, it would be a great place for vacation. But I couldn’t live there for a long period of time. I hate being in Humidity, and would miss the constant sun in New Mexico.