History of Panama
Independent from Colombia in 1903, and home of the Panama Canal.. 5 eras, 1717 to today.
Viceroyalty of New Granada, 1717–1819 Draft, not yet reviewed
It was the name given on 27 May 1717 to the jurisdiction of the Spanish Empire in northern South America, corresponding to modern Colombia, Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela. It was restored in 1739 after being suspended in 1723 for financial problems. The territory corresponding to Panama was incorporated in 1739. The territories of the viceroyalty gained full de facto independence from Spain between 1819 and 1822, uniting in a republic now known as Gran Colombia.
Seat of power: Panama City
Rulers
- Jorge de Villalonga, Viceroy of New Granada, 1717–1724
- Sebastián de Eslava, Viceroy of New Granada, 1740–1749
- José Alfonso Pizarro, Viceroy of New Granada, 1749–1753
- Manuel Antonio Flórez, Viceroy of New Granada, 1776–1781
- Francisco Gil de Taboada, Viceroy of New Granada, 1788–1789
- José Manuel de Ezpeleta, 1st Count of Ezpeleta de Beire, Viceroy of New Granada, 1790–1797
- Antonio José Amar y Borbón, Viceroy of New Granada, 1803–1810
- Francisco Montalvo y Ambulodi, Viceroy of New Granada, 1816–1818
Gran Colombia, 1819–1831 Draft, not yet reviewed
It was the Colombian state that encompassed much of northern South America and parts of Central America from 1819 to 1831. It included present-day Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Panama, Venezuela, parts of northern Peru, northwestern Brazil, and claimed the Essequibo region. In the 80 years following its independence from Spain, Panama was a subdivision of Gran Colombia, after voluntarily joining the country at the end of 1821. Gran Colombia was proclaimed through the Fundamental Law of the Republic of Colombia, issued during the Congress of Angostura (1819), but did not come into being until the Congress of Cúcuta (1821) promulgated the Constitution of Cúcuta.
Seat of power: Panama City
Rulers
- Simón Bolívar, President of Colombia, 1819–1830
- Domingo Caycedo, President of Colombia, 1830–1831
United States of Colombia, 1863–1886 Draft, not yet reviewed
It was the name adopted in 1863 by the Constitución de Rionegro for the Granadine Confederation, after years of civil war. It was a federal state composed of nine "sovereign states" and comprised the present-day nations of Colombia and Panama and parts of northwestern Brazil. In 1855, the autonomous State of Panama was created within the Republic out of the New Granada provinces of Panama, Azuero, Chiriquí, and Veraguas. During 1886 the Colombian Conservative Party led by President Rafael Núñez proclaimed a new constitution of a unitary and centralist character that abolished the United States of Colombia and created the Republic of Colombia.
Seat of power: Panama City
Rulers
- Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera, President of Colombia, 1863–1864
- Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera, President of Colombia, 1866–1867
- José María Rojas Garrido, President of Colombia, 1866–1866
- Santos Acosta, President of Colombia, 1867–1868
- Joaquín Riascos, President of Colombia, 1867–1867
- Santos Gutiérrez, President of Colombia, 1868–1870
- Eustorgio Salgar, President of Colombia, 1870–1872
- Manuel Murillo Toro, President of Colombia, 1872–1874
- Santiago Pérez de Manosalbas, President of Colombia, 1874–1876
- Manuel María Ramírez, President of Colombia, 1877–1877
- Julián Trujillo Largacha, President of Colombia, 1878–1880
- José Eusebio Otalora, President of Colombia, 1882–1884
- Francisco Javier Zaldúa, President of Colombia, 1882–1882
- Clímaco Calderón, President of Colombia, 1882–1882
- Ezequiel Hurtado, President of Colombia, 1884–1884
Department of Panama, 1886–1903 Draft, not yet reviewed
Panama was one of the Departments of Colombia, created under the 1886 constitution. The people of the isthmus made over 80 attempts to secede from Colombia. In 1903, it achieved independence as the modern Republic of Panama with the concession of the Panama Canal Zone to the United States. Colombia did not formally recognize the sovereignty of Panama until 1909.
Seat of power: Panama City
Rulers
- Rafael Núñez, President of Colombia, 1886–1894
- Eliseo Payán, President of Colombia, 1887–1888
- Miguel Antonio Caro Tobar, President of Colombia, 1892–1898
- Manuel Antonio Sanclemente, President of Colombia, 1898–1900
- José Manuel Marroquín, President of Colombia, 1900–1904
Panama, 1903 to today Draft, not yet reviewed
With the backing of the United States, Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903, allowing the construction of the Panama Canal to be completed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers between 1904 and 1914. The 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaties agreed to transfer the canal from the United States to Panama on December 31, 1999. The United States invaded Panama on December 20, 1989, codenamed Operation Just Cause. On July 1, 2024, José Raúl Mulino was sworn in as Panama's new president.
Seat of power: Panama City
Rulers
- Pablo Arosemena, President of Panama, 1910–1912
- Rodolfo Chiari, President of Panama, 1924–1928
- Harmodio Arias Madrid, President of Panama, 1931–1936
- Ricardo Joaquín Alfaro Jované, President of Panama, 1931–1932
- Enrique Adolfo Jiménez, President of Panama, 1945–1948
- Arnulfo Arias, President of Panama, 1949–1951
- Arístides Royo, President of Panama, 1978–1982
- Eric Arturo Delvalle, President of Panama, 1985–1988
- Guillermo Endara, President of Panama, 1989–1994
- Mireya Moscoso, President of Panama, 1999–2004
- Martín Torrijos, President of Panama, 2004–2009
- Ricardo Martinelli, President of Panama, 2009–2014
- Juan Carlos Varela, President of Panama, 2014–2019
- Laurentino Cortizo, President of Panama, 2019–2024
- José Raúl Mulino, President of Panama, 2024 to today
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.