Panama - national flag
The flag was officially introduced in 1904. The colors lead to the country's
two traditional parties, red for the liberals and blue for the
conservatives. The white color stands for peace between the parties, and the
blue star represents purity and honesty, the red law and authority.
- Countryaah:
What does the flag of Panama look like? Follow this link, then you will see
the image in PNG format and flag meaning description about this country.
Panama - history
According to a2zgov, Panama's history is largely determined by its geography and the consequent
geopolitical interests of the various superpowers.
In 1513, Vasco Núñez de Balboa and his men were the first Europeans
to discover the existence of the Pacific Ocean. In the following years, Panama
became the starting point for many Spanish expeditions; in 1532 it resulted in
the conquest of the Inca Empire. Wealth from the territories of the Inca in the
form of silver and gold began to flow to Europe through Panama.
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AbbreviationFinder: Check three-letter abbreviation for each country in the world,
such as PAN which represents the official name of Panama.
In the 1500's. the idea of a canal across the country was conceived, but it
was not until 1881-89 that a French company under the leadership of Ferdinand
Marie Lesseps began construction of the Panama Canal. As early as 1846, the
United States had, by the Treaty of Bidlack, signed with Colombia, secured the
right to "protect uninterrupted transit" through the country.
Heads of State in Committees |
1904-08 |
Manuel Amador Guerrero |
1928-31 |
Florencio Harmodio Arosemena |
1932-36 |
Harmodio Arias Madrid |
1940-41 |
Arnulfo Arias Madrid |
1941-45 |
Ricardo Adolfo de la Guardia |
1945-48 |
Enrique Adolfo Jiménez |
1948-49 |
Domingo Díaz Arosemena |
1949-51 |
Arnulfo Arias Madrid |
1951-52 |
Alcibíades Arosemena |
1952-55 |
José Antonio Remón |
1956-60 |
Ernesto de la Guardia |
1960-64 |
Roberto Francisco Chiari |
1964-68 |
Marco Aurelio Robles |
1968 |
Arnulfo Arias Madrid |
1968-69 |
José Manuel Pinilla Fábrega 1 |
1969-78 |
Demetrio Lakas Bahas 1 |
1978-82 |
Arástides Royo 1 |
1982-84 |
Ricardo de la Espriella 2 |
1984 |
Jorge Illueca 2 |
1984-85 |
Nicolás Ardito Barletta 2 |
1985-88 |
Eric Arturo Delvalle 2 |
1988-89 |
Manuel Solís Palma 2 |
1989 |
Francisco Rodríguez 2 |
1989-94 |
Guillermo Endara |
1994-99 |
Ernesto Pérez Balladares |
1999-2004 |
Mireya Moscoso |
2004-09 |
Martín Torrijos |
2009-14 |
Ricardo Martinelli |
2014- |
Juan Carlos Varela |
1 de facto leader 1968-81 Omar Torrijos
Herrera 2 de facto leader 1983-89 Manuel Antonio Noriega |
Panama was until 1903 part of Colombia. In the 1800's. however, there were
several attempts to secede the province. After Lesseps' Panama Canal Company
went bankrupt in 1889, the United States became interested in building the
canal, but Colombia was unwilling to hand over the rights to the Americans. As a
result, the United States supported the separatist movement, led by Manuel
Amador Guerrero (1833-1909), and on November 3, 1903, Panama was declared an
independent state, which was immediately recognized by the United States. Then a
new treaty was signed and the United States began canal construction. In
February 1904, Amador Guerrero became the new president of the new country.

The Panama Canal was taken into use in 1914. The treaty handed over
sovereignty to the United States over a belt on both sides of the canal, the
so-called Panama Canal Zone. Here, Panama and the United States were to share
the administration. The treaty, which favored the United States, has caused many
conflicts and has had to be renegotiated and revised on several occasions. Thus,
in January 1964, a student uprising took place in the Channel Zone. The American
students, contrary to an agreement reached, would not allow the Panamanian flag
to be hoisted next to the American one. Police from the United States intervened
and the riots resulted in many dead and hundreds injured. Panama severed
diplomatic relations with the United States and brought the matter before the
United Nations, which handed it over to The Organization of American
States. After lengthy negotiations, the presidents of the two countries agreed
in September 1965 to repeal the 1903 treaty and recognize Panama's sovereignty
over the Channel Zone.
On September 7, 1977, a new treaty was signed in Washington in the presence
of representatives of 24 nations from across the continent. In 1978, the final
treaty under which Panama was to take over all rights and the channel on
1.1.2000 was ratified and signed by the Presidents of the United States and
Panama. The United States systematically transferred the Panama Canal and the
associated 24,000 hectares of land to Panama on December 31, 1999. In the short
term, Panama lost some revenue from US personnel, but a major expansion of the
canal began, so that after 2002 it should be able to take 16,500 ships a year
compared to the previous 15,000.
In the 1980's, relations with the United States escalated. In 1983, Manuel
Noriega became commander of the armed forces. He consolidated the dictatorship
of Omar Torrijos Herrera from 1972. Although he allowed the first presidential
election in 16 years in 1987, he manipulated the election result so that his own
candidate was installed in office. Reports of Noriega's co-operation with
Colombian drug cartels also aroused great concern, and in 1988 he was accused by
the United States of drug trafficking and extortion.
In March 1988, the United States imposed economic sanctions on the
country. In addition, there were major internal problems with several failed
coup attempts. In December 1989, the Noriega regime declared war on the United
States, and immediately after, Panamanian soldiers killed a U.S. Marine. On
December 19, 1989, US President George W. Bush ordered the invasion of Panama to
protect US citizens and capture Noriega for prosecution in the United
States. The Americans quickly defeated all resistance, and on January 3, 1990,
Noriega was captured and taken to the United States. Here he was brought before
a court, convicted and imprisoned.
Following the end of General Noriega's military dictatorship, Parliament
decided in 1994, on an equal footing with Costa Rica, to abolish the armed
forces. That same year, the first free elections in a quarter of a century with
the participation of a large number of parties were won by Ernesto Perez
Balladares (b. 1946). He was replaced in 1999 by the leader of the opposition,
Mireya Moscoso, who was the widow of former Conservative President Arnulfo Arias
Madrid (1901-88).
In 2006, a referendum decided to invest in widening the Panama Canal so that
the number of vessels crossing the canal can double; construction work began in
2007.
In 2006, a free trade agreement with the United States was negotiated in
place; it was first approved by the US Congress in 2011.
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