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TIPS ON DOING BUSINESS IN PANAMA GENERAL INFORMATION Panamanians prefer to maintain an image of harmony in public. Do not criticize with other member of your negotiating team in public. Panama City if referred to as “Panama” by locals. Panama has a wide ethnic diversity. Some ethnicities include; Hispanics, Antillean blacks, tribal Indians, Chinese, Arabs, Lebanese, North Americans etc.
DEMOGRAPHICS Panama has a population of approximately 3.2 million people (2006 estimate), its population is one of the smallest in Central America. Panama is 70% mestizo (a mix of Indian and European), 14% West Indian, 10% European and 6% Amerindian. Over ¼ of the people engage in agriculture, growing crops such as bananas, shrimp, coffee, sugar, rice, corn, sugarcane and livestock
LANGUAGE Spanish is the official language of Panama. Many Panamanians are bilingual in English as well. There are several Amerindian languages.
Source: Morrison. T &Conaway .W, Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands: Latin America