Research Paper on:
Comparison Between Ecuador and Panama

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
the following comparison will show, there are also distinct contrasts between the two countries that result from their geographical locations -- Panama in Central America, and Ecuador as part of  the old Inca Empire of South America. Panama With US backing, Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903, at which time Panama officials signed a treaty with the US that  allowed for the construction of the Panama Canal, which also gave the US sovereignty over a strip of the country on either side of the canal that came to  be known as the "Panama Canal Zone" (CIA Panama, 2002). The canal was constructed by the US Army Corps of Engineers between 1904 and 1914, and remained under US  jurisdiction. On September 7, 1977, an agreement was reached that called for the US to transfer the governance of the canal zone to Panama by the end of 1999 (CIA  Panama, 2002). With US aid, Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega was deposed in 1989, and the all remaining US military bases were turned over to Panama by or on December 31,  1999 (CIA Panama, 2002). Panama is located in Central America, with the Caribbean Sea to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west, and between Colombia and Costa  Rica (CIA Panama, 2002). The total area of the country is 78,200 square kilometers or a land mass slightly smaller than South Carolina (CIA Panama, 2002). The official language of  the Panama is Spanish, but 14 percent of the population speak English (CIA Panama, 2002). Panamanian history, as well as its "present-day social, economic, and political life," has been  dominated by the countrys geographical position (Hanratty and Meditz, 2002). Since Panama includes the lowest and narrowest portion of the Isthmus that connects Noth and South America, Panama has, or