This section is an excerpt fromSecession of Panama from Colombia.[edit]

Thesecession of Panama from Colombia was formalized on 3 November 1903, with the establishment of theRepublic of Panama and theabolition of the Colombia-Costa Rica border. From theIndependence of Panama from Spain in 1821, Panama had simultaneously declared independence from Spain and joined itself to the confederation ofGran Colombia through theIndependence Act of Panama. Panama was always tenuously connected to the rest of the country to the south, owing to its remoteness from the government inBogotá andlack of a practical overland connection to the rest of Gran Colombia. In 1840–41, a short-lived independent republic was established underTomás de Herrera. After rejoining Colombia following a 13-month independence, it remained a province which saw frequent rebellious flare-ups, notably thePanama crisis of 1885, which saw the intervention of theUnited States Navy, and a reaction by theChilean Navy.