Flag of Panama

What the flag looks like

Divided into four equal quarters: white with a blue five-pointed star at upper hoist, plain red at upper fly, plain blue at lower hoist, and white with a red star at lower fly.

What it means

Blue and red represent the country's two traditional political parties, the Conservatives and the Liberals, and white the peace between them; the blue star stands for purity and honesty and the red star for authority and law.

How to remember it

Panama: four quarters with a blue star top-left and a red star bottom-right, and no cross, unlike the Dominican Republic.

Fun facts

• The flag was designed in 1903 by Manuel Encarnación Amador and sewn by his mother, María de la Ossa de Amador, wife of Panama's first president.
• The Panama Canal, opened in 1914, links the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans across the isthmus.

Panama at a glance

Capital

Panama City

Region

Central America

Population

4.5 million

Area

75,417 km²

Languages

Spanish

Currency

Panamanian balboa (B/.), United States dollar ($)

Flag adopted

1903

Flags often confused with Panama

• Dominican Republic: The Dominican Republic and Panama both have blue and red quarters. The Dominican Republic has a white cross with a coat of arms between them; Panama has two white quarters, each with a star, and no cross.