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"A man, a plan, a canal - Panama"
Before 1903, Panama is just another province of Colombia. Even before that, it was an isthmus discovered by Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa , who deemed its narrow girth suitable for a trade shortcut between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Since then, Panama became known as the "Camino Real" (Royal Way)... but locals also have a less-than-flattering name for it: "Camino del Cruces" (Way of Crosses), because there's the chances of dying within its treacherous, mosquito-infested jungles before one can even reach the other end of the isthmus.
For all its potential wealth, however, Panama proved to be a geopolitical headache for the rulers in Bogota. Isolated from the mainland by the formidable Darién marshlands, Panama was rocked by indigenous rebels and Dutch/English pirates, as well as the occasional freed African-American group. One English privateer, Sir Francis Drake, was so successful Spain only managed to pacify him by forging an alliance with him, guaranteeing Drake freedom in exchange for providing them with military support. And even when Spain finally completed its conquest of Panama, the same nationalist spirit started to pervade its new Spanish majority.
Even as New Granada is shaking off Spanish rule, separatists in Panama City, the trade route's southern terminus, are slowly influencing José de Fábrega, the colony's staunchly loyalist head of military, to turn to their side, giving them an advantage. After some negotiations with Simon Bolivar, in 1821 Panama was admitted to the newly-independent New Granada, now under the name Gran Colombia, and would maintain a precarious alliance with Colombia long after Gran Colombia broke up — which would also break down like it did with Venezuela and Ecuador.
At the same time Panama's relationship with mainland Colombia is breaking down, the Americans began showing interest in continuing an audacious plan abandoned by the French — to cut a waterway through the isthmus, allowing for faster maritime travel. When the Colombians refused to ratify a treaty granting America a six-mile-wide strip across the isthmus, within which the Panama Canal would be built, then-President Theodore Roosevelt assisted the Panamanians' drive for independence by placing a naval blockade on Colombian waters, allowing the Panamanians to declare independence in 1903.
During The Seventies the country became a dictatorship under General Omar Torrijos. When he died on a mysterious plane crash, his "benevolent" dictatorship became a Banana Republic under the command of CIA pawn Manuel Noriega, who then became a despot rebel. His reign ended when the United States invaded in 1989, removing Noriega in an attack called "Operation Just Cause" the first use of the F-117A Nighthawk... destroying half the city in the process.
Since then, it's been a democracy.
Panama's most famous feature is the Panama Canal, fully under the control of Panama since 1999, although the US retains the right to intervene to ensure the free use of said canal if need be. The canal was built, at great expense of life (estimated at 27,500 for the two attempts), between 1904 and 1914, after a failed French attempt in the 1880s. It is a major shipping route for the obvious reason that one would otherwise have to go round Cape Horn instead, an area known for strong winds.
The canal's lock dimensions are a major factor in shipping design, with many ships built to "Panamax" size. However, modern ships tend to be large and the canal is now being widened.
Panama is well known as a "flag of convenience" for shipping, a status going back to the Prohibition era.
Panama in fiction:
The flag's blue and red quarters symbolize Panama's conservatives and radicals, respectively, and the white quarters signify peace and the synergy of both parties. Blue and red can also symbolize the seas and the blood shed by its liberators, respectively. The blue star represents purity and honesty, while the red star authority and the law.
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alternative title(s): Panama
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