The United States recognized Panama on November 6, 1903, after Panama declared independence from Colombia. On November 3, 1903, Panamanians rebelled against the Colombian government, declared the Republic of Panama independent and established a provisional government junta. Panama and the United States of America have maintained a special relationship over the years. The United States recognized Panama as a state on November 6, 1903, after Panama declared its separation from Colombia. Diplomatic relations were established on November 13, 1903. Government troops and demonstrators clashed in Panama City from March 24 to 29, 1968, resulting in the death of two people.
An almost impenetrable jungle forms the Darién divide, between Panama and Colombia, where Colombian guerrillas and drug traffickers operate and sometimes take hostages. The National Assembly adopted a resolution on December 15, 1989, proclaiming General Noriega as head of state and declaring Panama a state of war with the United States. The National Assembly of Panama is elected by proportional representation in fixed electoral districts, so many smaller parties are represented. On October 1, 1968, Arias Madrid assumed the presidency of Panama with the promise of leading a government of national union that would end the prevailing corruption and pave the way for a new Panama.
Government troops and demonstrators clashed in Panama City from May 19 to 25, 1958, resulting in the death of eight people. Charco Azul, Chiriqui (Pacific) and Chiriqui Grande (Bocas del Toro (Atlántico), near Panama's western border with Costa Rica, are excellent deepwater ports capable of housing large crude oil transportation companies (VLCCs). Further east it becomes the Serranía de Tabasará, and the part closest to the lower part of the isthmus, where the Panama Canal is located, is often called the Sierra de Veraguas. Panama is the second country in Latin America (the other is Costa Rica) to permanently abolish its standing army.
Colonel Manuel Antonio Noriega, commander of the Panamanian Defense Forces (PDF), took control of the government in March 1983. Panama is also home to a small Arab community that has mosques and practices Islam, as well as a Jewish community and many synagogues. The United States relinquished jurisdiction over the Panama Canal on December 31, 1999, which marked an unprecedented change in Panamanian society. Panamanian politics are developed within the framework of a democratic representative presidential republic, in which the president of Panama is both head of state and head of government, and of a multiparty system. The new constitution proclaimed Omar Torrijos as the highest leader of the Panamanian revolution and granted him unlimited powers for six years, although, to maintain a façade of constitutionality, Demetrio B.
The United States froze economic and military assistance to Panama in mid-1987 in response to the internal political crisis in Panama and an attack on the United States embassy.
