Panama Flag

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The flag of Panama was made by Maria Ossa de Amador. It has been officially adopted by the "ley 4 de 1925"; the flag is celebrated on November 4, one day after Panamanian independence from Colombia.

The first flag proposed in 1823 consisted of 7 horizontal stripes of red and yellow, with a blue canton containing 2 golden suns, joined by a narrow line to depict the oceans to be united by the Panama Canal. However, this was not accepted by the Panamanian leader, Manuel Amador Guerrero, whose family designed a new flag.

The stars and quarters are said to stand for the rival political parties, and the white for the peace in which they operate. Blue was the color of the Conservatives, and red the color of the Liberals.

(Flags of the World, published DK Publishing, 1997)