Flag of Panama
Four quarters: white with a blue five-pointed star at the upper hoist, plain red at the upper fly, plain blue at the lower hoist, and white with a red star at the lower fly.
What the flag means
The standard reading, given by Panama's embassy in Spain, is that blue stands for the Conservative Party and red for the Liberal Party, with white for peace and union between them. The blue star is purity and honesty, and the red star authority and law.
History
Manuel Encarnación Amador, son of Panama's first president, Manuel Amador Guerrero, sketched the design, and María de la Ossa de Amador made the first three flags with two relatives. They were flown when Panama separated from Colombia in November 1903. The first version had blue at the upper hoist; the quarters were then rearranged to put white there. Law 48 of 1925 made the flag official, and Law 34 of 1949 describes it.
Worn-out flags must be destroyed in a public ceremony, and the rules allow only mangrove wood as fuel.
Earlier flags of Panama
- 1861–1903Flag of Colombia, of which Panama was part
- 1903Original design, with the blue quarter at the upper hoist
Flags of Panama's neighbours
Sources
- Wikipedia: Flag of Panama
- Embajada de Panamá en España: Símbolos patrios
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Read how we research flags in our editorial policy, or report a mistake.
