Panama’s flag (20 December 1903) quarters the field: white with a blue star (upper hoist), red (upper fly), blue (lower hoist), and white with a red star (lower fly). White signifies peace; blue and red represent the founding parties and political balance. The design by Manuel E. Amador was legalised in 1904 and later constitutionalised; statutes codify proportion, colours, star geometry, protocol, and dignified retirement.
Adopted on 20 December 1903, weeks after independence from Colombia, Panama’s national flag expresses a foundational pact of peace and political balance. The rectangular field is quartered: the upper hoist and lower fly are white, charged respectively with a blue and a red five‑pointed star; the upper fly is solid red; the lower hoist solid blue. White signifies peace between factions; blue and red represent the principal parties of 1903—Conservative (blue) and Liberal (red)—whose coexistence was essential to the new republic.
An earlier proposal by Philippe‑Jean Bunau‑Varilla, echoing French heraldry, was rejected. The final and enduring layout is credited to Manuel E. Amador, son of the first president, Manuel Amador Guerrero. Government decrees in 1904 and Law 48 of 1925 set usage and protections, and the 1941 constitution enshrined the design, later reiterated by updated legislation specifying proportion, shades, and construction for the two stars.
Protocol
mandates display on ministries, schools, courts, armed forces, and missions abroad, with precedence rules when flown with foreign flags. Half‑masting occurs by executive order during national mourning; flags flown at night must be illuminated. Worn flags are retired ceremoniously.
The flag’s geometry—simple quadrants punctuated by two stars—has remained unchanged. Public education emphasises correct folding and handling, and the banner dominates dates such as Independence Days in November and Flag Day. Abroad, it signals Panamanian sovereignty on vessels and at diplomatic posts, while domestically it recalls the 1903 settlement that launched a state bridging oceans and continents.