| Republic of Colombia | |
| Nickname: | El Tricolor Nacional ("The National Tricolor") |
| Use: | 111010 |
| Proportion: | 2:3 |
| Design: | A horizontal tricolour of yellow, blue and red in a 2:1:1 ratio. |
| Proportion2: | 2:3 |
| Use2: | 000100 |
| Design2: | The national flag defaced in the centre with a blue ellipse outlined in red and an eight-pointed white star. |
| Image3: | Naval Ensign of Colombia.svg |
| Proportion3: | 2:3 |
| Use3: | 000001 |
| Design3: | The national flag defaced in the centre with a white circle outlined in red and the coat of arms of Colombia. |
The national flag of Colombia symbolizes that Colombia gained its independence from Spain on 20 July 1810.[1] It is a horizontal tricolor of yellow, blue and red in a 2:1:1 ratio. The yellow stripe takes up a half of the flag while the blue and red stripes take up a quarter of the space each.
The horizontal stripes (from top to bottom) of yellow, blue and red tricolor have a ratio of 2:1:1. The Colombian flag, the flag of Ecuador, and the flag of Venezuela are all derived from the flag of Gran Colombia. The stripes of the Colombian and Ecuadorian flags are different from most other tricolor flags because the three stripes are not equal sizes. By contrast, the flag of Venezuela is a more conventional tricolor due to its evenly sized stripes.
The official colors of the Colombian flag have not been established by law. The International Federation of Vexillological Associations recommends the following colors:
Colours scheme | Yellow | Blue | Red | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 116 | 287 | 186 | ||
| RGB (hex) | 255-205-0 (#FFCD00) | 0-48-135 (#003087) | 200-16-46 (#C8102E) | |
| 0-20-100-0 | 100-64-0-47 | 0-92-77-22 |
According to the government of Colombia, the colors represent:[2]
The flag's colors have other representations, such as blue for loyalty and vigilance, red for the victory of battles for Colombian independence, and yellow for sovereignty and justice.
Francisco de Miranda originally created the common yellow, blue, and red flag of Gran Colombia that Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela, with slight variations, share today. Miranda gave at least two sources of inspiration for his flag. In a letter written to the Russian count Semyon Vorontsov and the German philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Miranda described a late-night conversation he had had with Goethe at a party in Weimar during the winter of 1785. Fascinated by Miranda's account of his exploits in the United States Revolutionary War and his travels throughout the Americas and Europe, Goethe told him, "Your destiny is to create in your land a place where primary colors are not distorted." He proceeded to clarify what he meant:
After Miranda designed his flag based on this conversation, he recalled seeing a fresco by Lazzaro Tavarone in the Palazzo Belimbau in Genoa that depicted Christopher Columbus unfurling a similar-colored flag in Veragua during his fourth voyage.[3]
In his military diary, Miranda gave another possible source of inspiration: the yellow, blue and red standard of the Burger Guard (Bürgerwache) of Hamburg, which he also saw during his travels in Germany.[4]
In the 1801 plan for an army to liberate Spanish America, which he submitted unsuccessfully to the British cabinet, Miranda requested the materials for "ten flags, whose colors shall be red, yellow, and blue, in three zones." However, the first flag was not raised until 12 March 1806, in Jacmel, Haiti, during his ill-fated expedition to Venezuela.
National flagHistorical flagsMilitary and civil flagsHistorical military and civil flagsConstruction sheets