Flag of Panama
North America
Quick Facts
- Capital
- Panama City
- Flag adopted
- 1925
- Population
- 4,064,780
- Area
- 75,417 km²
- Languages
- Spanish
- Currency
- Panamanian balboa (B/.) — PAB, United States dollar ($) — USD
- Demonym
- Panamanian
- Government
- presidential republic
- Subregion
- Central America
- Driving side
- Right
- Timezones
- UTC-05:00
- Independence
- 1903
Religions
- Evangelical 55%
- Roman Catholic 33.4%
- None 10.1%
- Unspecified 1.5%
About This Flag
The flag of Panama consists of four equal rectangles (quarters). The upper-left quarter is white with a blue five-pointed star, the upper-right is red, the lower-left is blue, and the lower-right is white with a red five-pointed star.
The white represents peace, the blue stands for the Conservative Party, and the red represents the Liberal Party. The blue star symbolizes civic virtue and honesty, while the red star represents authority and law.
The flag was designed by Manuel Encarnacion Amador, the son of the first president, and was reportedly sewn by Maria Ossa de Amador. It was adopted on November 3, 1903, when Panama declared independence from Colombia, with significant United States involvement tied to the construction of the Panama Canal.
What the colors & design mean
White represents peace and the aspiration for unity between parties. Blue represents the Conservative Party, and the blue star symbolizes civic honesty. Red represents the Liberal Party, and the red star symbolizes authority and the rule of law.
Pattern: Complex Design
Bordering countries (2)
Fun Facts
- Panama's flag was designed to symbolize bipartisan peace — the two white quarters represent the hope for harmony between the Conservative (blue) and Liberal (red) parties that dominated Panamanian politics.
- Panama declared independence from Colombia in 1903, largely facilitated by the United States, which wanted to build the Panama Canal and preferred dealing with a smaller, more cooperative nation.
- The Panama Canal, which connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, is one of the greatest engineering achievements in history, and control of the canal was transferred from the U.S. to Panama on December 31, 1999.
- Manuel Amador Guerrero, Panama's first president, had the flag sewn in secret by his wife, Maria Ossa de Amador, before the revolution against Colombia.
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