Coat of arms of Panama

The Panamanian coat of arms is a heraldic symbol for the Central American nation of Panama. These arms were adopted provisionally and then definitively by the same laws that adopted the Panamanian flag.

Description

The center section contains the Isthmus of Panama. The chief or top part of the coat of arms comprises two quarters. The top left over a field of silver a sword and a rifle. In 1904, the arms were made official by Law 64 of 4 June 1904 signed by the President of Assembly Dr Genaro Ortega, and sanctioned by the President the Republic, Dr Manuel Amador Guerrero.

The official description of the heraldic design is as follows:

"On the eagle, in arc form, nine gold stars go in representation of the provinces in which the Republic is divided. Like decorative accessories, to each side of the coat of arms two gathered national flags go on the other hand below"

The formal adoption and regulation of the use of the national flag, anthem and coat of arms were decreed by law 34 of 1949.

Harpy Eagle Law

Law 34 of 1949 stated, as noted above, that an eagle was to be on the top of the coat of arms. However, it did not specify what species of eagle, even though in most schools the Harpy Eagle was the eagle species on top of the coat of arms. Law 18 of 2002 made the Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja) the national bird; and to specify what species of eagle was to be on the coat of arms, on May 17, 2006, law 50 was approved by the national Assembly to modify law 18 of 2002, and add that the Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja) was the species of eagle that appears on the coat of arms of the Republic of Panama.[1]

References

  1. ^ Text of Modification of law 18, 2002, Panama's National Assembly (Spanish)