As we are rolling out the new

website section(s) with weather – pilot charts and chart-lets our very observant friend

Well, from 1819 to 1831 there was a country called Gran Colombia (Greater Colombia) that encompassed the present territories of Colombia, Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela and some parts of northern Peru and northwester Brazil.

The flag of unequal horizontal stripes of yellow, blue, and red was adopted in 1822 by Gran Colombia. Although Gran Colombia dissolved in 1831, the succeeding states (Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela) incorporated the flag’s tricolor design into their respective flags. Colombia and Ecuador have the yellow covering half of the flag, the other half is blue and red. Colombia’s flag does not have the coat of arms, the Ecuador’s flag has it. The three colors in the Venezuela’s flag have equal sizes and has 10 stars in the blue stripe.

Panama was part of Colombia until 1903 when Panama separated from Colombia because of the construction of the Panama Canal by the United States. This is another interesting history. Below I am coping an excerpt from a web page about this topic.

“With the support of the U.S. government, Panama issues a declaration of independence from Colombia. The revolution was engineered by a Panamanian faction backed by the Panama Canal Company, a French-U.S. corporation that hoped to connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans with a waterway across the Isthmus of Panama.

In 1903, the Hay-Herrán Treaty was signed with Colombia, granting the United States use of the Isthmus of Panama in exchange for financial compensation. The U.S. Senate ratified the treaty, but the Colombian Senate, fearing a loss of sovereignty, refused. In response, President Theodore Roosevelt gave tacit approval to a rebellion by Panamanian nationalists, which began on November 3, 1903. To aid the rebels, the U.S.-administered railroad in Panama removed its trains from the northern terminus of Colón, thus stranding Colombian troops sent to crush the insurrection. Other Colombian forces were discouraged from marching on Panama by the arrival of the U.S. warship Nashville.”

Cheers,

María Lucía

SV PILIALOHA ”

Historic Map of Gran Colombia