Panama

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This article is part of the Tobacco portal on Sourcewatch funded from 2006 - 2009 by the American Legacy Foundation.

Panama is a Central American country known for its Panama Canal, connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and offering a shortcut route around South America. The canal's strategic importance led to the 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama and the deposing of former U.S. ally, Manuel Noriega. In 1977, under President Jimmy Carter, a treaty was signed which gave control of the canal to Panama in 1999. [1]

The BBC writes that Panama "needs to address social inequality. Elite families of European descent control most of Panama's wealth and power, while about 40% of the population live below the poverty line." [1]

Tobacco

Media

The BBC says of the country's media:[1]

Panama's media are free to present news and comment. Laws which penalised "insults" against state officials were repealed in 2005. Media rights organisation Reporters Without Borders noted in 2006 that political stability had stimulated the growth of "free and vigorous" media.

Resources

Related SourceWatch articles

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Country profile: Panama BBC, accessed December 2007.

External resources

  • Panama, National Geographic, accessed December 2007.
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