Flag of Bolivia

Last updated

Bolivia
Flag of Bolivia.svg
La Tricolor
('The Tricolor')
Use Civil flag and ensign FIAV 100100.svg FIAV normal.svg [1]
Proportion15:22
Adopted31 October 1851;172 years ago (1851-10-31)
DesignA horizontal tricolor of red, yellow and green
Designed by Manuel Isidoro Belzu
Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg
Use State flag and ensign, war flag FIAV 011010.svg FIAV normal.svg [1]
Proportion15:22
Adopted31 October 1851;172 years ago (1851-10-31)
DesignA horizontal tricolor of red, yellow and green with the coat of arms
Designed by Manuel Isidoro Belzu
Wiphala
Dual flag
Use National flag FIAV 111000.svg FIAV normal.svg
Proportion1:1
Adopted7 February 2009
DesignBanner composed of a 7-by-7 square patchwork in seven colours, arranged diagonally.
Naval Ensign of Bolivia.svg
Maritime Flag
Use Naval ensign FIAV 000001.svg FIAV normal.svg [2]
Proportion2:3
Naval jack
Naval Jack of Bolivia.svg
Naval Jack
Proportion1:1
DesignA red, yellow and green square.
The Wiphala and the tricolor flying on the presidential Palacio Quemado
in La Paz. Palacio Quemado 5286086284 2923c64010 t.jpg
The Wiphala and the tricolor flying on the presidential Palacio Quemado in La Paz.

The national flag of the Plurinational State of Bolivia was originally adopted in 1851. The state and war flag is a horizontal tricolor of red, yellow and green with the Bolivian coat of arms in the center. According to one source, [3] the red stands for Bolivia's brave soldiers, while the green symbolizes fertility and yellow the nation's mineral deposits.

Contents

State Flag of Bolivia on flagpole Bolivian flag.png
State Flag of Bolivia on flagpole

According to the revised Constitution of Bolivia of 2009, the Wiphala is considered a national symbol of Bolivia (along with the tricolor flag, national anthem, coat of arms, the cockade; kantuta flower and patujú flower). [4]

Despite its landlocked status, Bolivia has a naval ensign used by navy vessels on rivers and lakes. It consists of a blue field with the state flag in the canton bordered by nine small yellow five-pointed stars, with a larger yellow five-pointed star in the fly. The nine small stars represent the nine departments of Bolivia, and the larger star the nation's right to access the sea (access that it lost in 1884 in the War of the Pacific).

Description

Design and dimensions

The national flag of Bolivia is described as a tricolor rectangle, with the colors red, yellow and green, in a ratio of 1:1:1, meaning three horizontal bands, with the red on the superior part occupying a third of the flag's width, yellow in the middle band using the same width, and green in the inferior part, using the last third. [5]

The dimensions of the flag had not been defined since its adoption in 1851. Supreme Decree No. 27630 of 2004 finally established that the size of the national flag be of 7.5 squares width by 11 squares long, giving a ratio of 15:22.

Color and symbolism

The first description of Bolivia's national flag, together with the significance of these, were first established by the Supreme Decree of 1888 during the government of President Gregorio Pacheco, which specifies that:

The exact colors of the Bolivian flag have been established by the Supreme Decree of 2004: [6]

Color modelRedYellowGreen
Pantone 485 [7] Process Yellow [7] 356 [7]
RGB 218–41–28 [8] 244–228–0 [9] 0–122–51 [10]
RGB hex triplet #DA291C [8] #F4E400 [9] #007A33 [10]
CMYK C0 M95 Y100 K0 [8] C0 M0 Y100 K0 [9] C91 M0 Y100 K26 [10]

The colours of the tricolor can also be found in the Bolivian Wiphala. The Wiphala has been included into the national colours of the Bolivian Air Force such as on the executive Dassault Falcon 900EX. [11] The Wiphala is also officially flown on governmental buildings such as the Palacio Quemado and parliament alongside the tricolor since the introduction of the revised 2009 constitution. [12]

Historical flags

The 1831-51 flag on a cigarette card Bolivia, from Flags of All Nations, Series 1 (N9) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes Brands MET DP831931.jpg
The 1831–51 flag on a cigarette card

The current Bolivian flag has been officially adopted 31 October 1851 during the presidency of Manuel Isidoro Belzu.

According to Supreme Decree No. 27630 of 19 July 2004, during the presidency of Carlos Mesa, it was established that the civil flag used in civic, public and patriotic celebrations will be used without the National Shield, while the flag used by the state in official acts will include the shield in its center.

During the presidency of Evo Morales, through Supreme Decree No. 241 of 5 August 2009, some symbolic modifications were made to the flag. It was also established that for both the civil flag and the flag used by the State in official acts they should be raised on the right side and the wiphala on the left side.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Chile</span>


The flag of Chile consists of two equal-height horizontal bands of white and red, with a blue square the same height as the white band in the canton, which bears a white five-pointed star in the center. It was adopted on 18 October 1817. The Chilean flag is also known in Spanish as La Estrella Solitaria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Romania</span>

The national flag of Romania is a tricolour featuring three equal vertical bands colored blue, yellow and red, with a width to length ratio of 2:3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Moldova</span>

The national flag of the Republic of Moldova is a vertical triband of blue, yellow, and red, charged with the coat of arms of Moldova on the centre bar. The reverse is mirrored. The flag ratio is 1:2. Until further provisions, the State Flag of Moldova is used as the national flag and ensign as well; that is, civil, state and war flag and ensign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Guatemala</span>

The flag of Guatemala, often referred to as the National Pavilion or the Blue-and-White, features two colors: sky blue and white. According to decree, the two sky blue stripes represents strength, justice, truth and loyalty. The white color signifies purity, integrity, firmness and light. The blue and white colors, like those of several other countries in the region, are based on the flag of the former Federal Republic of Central America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Colombia</span>

The national flagof Colombia symbolizes that the nation gained its independence from Spain on 20 July 1810. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Ecuador</span> National flag

The national flag of Ecuador, which consists of horizontal bands of yellow, blue and red, was first adopted by law in 1835 and later on 26 September 1860. The design of the current flag was finalized in 1900 with the addition of the coat of arms in the center of the flag. Before using the yellow, blue and red tricolor, Ecuador's former flag had three light blue stripes and two white stripes with three white stars for each province of the country. The design of the flag is very similar to those of Colombia and Venezuela, which are also former constituent territories of Gran Colombia. All three are based on a proposal by Venezuelan General Francisco de Miranda, which was adopted by Venezuela in 1811 and later Gran Colombia with some modifications. There is a variant of the flag that does not contain the coat of arms that is used by the merchant marine. This flag matches Colombia's in every aspect, but Colombia uses a different design when her merchant marine ships are at sail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Peru</span>

The Flag of Peru, often referred to as The Bicolour was adopted by the government of Peru in 1825, and modified in 1950. According to the article 49 of the Constitution of Peru, it is a vertical triband with red outer bands and a single white middle band. Depending on its use, it may be defaced with different emblems, and has different names. Flag day in Peru is celebrated on 7 June, the anniversary of the Battle of Arica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Spain</span>

The Flag of Spain, as it is defined in the Constitution of 1978, consists of three horizontal stripes: red, yellow and red, the yellow stripe being twice the height of each red stripe. Traditionally, the middle stripe was defined by the more archaic term of gualda, and hence the popular name la Rojigualda (red-weld).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Venezuela</span>

The current national flag of Venezuela was introduced in 2006. The basic design includes a horizontal tricolour of yellow, blue, and red, dating to the original flag introduced in 1811, in the Venezuelan War of Independence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wiphala</span> Flag representing native people in South America

The Wiphala is a square emblem commonly used as a flag to represent some native peoples of the Andes that include today's Bolivia, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, northwestern Argentina and southern Colombia. The 2009 Constitution of Bolivia established the southern Qullasuyu Wiphala as another national symbol of Bolivia, along with the red-yellow-green tricolor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coat of arms of Peru</span>

The coat of arms of Peru is the national symbolic emblem of Peru. Four variants are used: the coat of arms per se, the National Coat of Arms, the Great Seal of the State, and the Naval Coat of Arms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cross of Burgundy</span> Historical banner and battle flag

The Cross of Burgundy is a saw-toothed form of the Cross of Saint Andrew, the patron saint of Burgundy, and a historical banner and battle flag used by holders of the title of Duke of Burgundy and their subjects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Cusco</span> Flag of the Peruvian city of Cusco

The official flag of Cusco has seven horizontal stripes of color: red, orange, yellow, green, sky blue, blue, and violet. This rainbow flag was introduced to Peru in 1973 by Raúl Montesinos Espejo, in recognition of the 25th anniversary of his Tawantinsuyo Radio station. As the flag's popularity grew, Cusco mayor Gilberto Muñiz Caparó declared it an official emblem in 1978. Since 2021, the official flag has also featured the golden Echenique's sun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Mexico</span>

The national flag of Mexico is a vertical tricolor of green, white, and red with the national coat of arms charged in the center of the white stripe. While the meaning of the colors has changed over time, these three colors were adopted by Mexico following independence from Spain during the country's War of Independence, and subsequent First Mexican Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of the Second Spanish Republic</span> Flag used by the Second Spanish Republic

The flag of the Second Spanish Republic, known in Spanish as la tricolor, was the official flag of Spain between 1931 and 1939 and the flag of the Spanish Republican government in exile until 1977. Its present-day use in Spain is associated with the modern republican movement, different trade unions and various left-wing political movements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of La Rioja</span>

The flag of La Rioja is one of the symbols of the autonomous community of La Rioja. It was sanctioned for use by the former governing body of the provincial council for what was then known as the Province of Logroño in 1979 and it appears in the Statute of Autonomy of La Rioja of 1982, which specifies that the flag consist of four horizontal bands of equal size, with the colors of red, white, green, and yellow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Emilia-Romagna</span>

The flag of Emilia-Romagna is one of the official symbols of the region of Emilia-Romagna, Italy. The flag shows the coat of arms adopted in 1989 in the variant with green writing and red bar on a white background.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of the patujú flower</span>

The flag of the patujú flower is a flag used at official events of the Bolivia government, which shows Bolivia's national flower. The latter represents the indigenous peoples of Eastern Bolivia and has been used as a symbol of protest against the construction of a highway in TIPNIS by the opponents of Evo Morales in that area of the country.

References

  1. 1 2 France. Service hydrographique et océanographique de la marine (2000). Albums des pavillons nationaux et des marques distinctives (in French). Brest: SHOM. ISBN   2-11-088247-6. OCLC   468544080.
  2. "Bolivian naval ensign".
  3. Torre, Manuel Alejandro De la (16 December 2023). "Flags of Bolivia: A Symbol of Pride and Identity". Zelosos por Buenas Renovables. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  4. "Artículo 6. II. Los símbolos del Estado son la bandera tricolor rojo, amarillo y verde; el himno boliviano; el escudo de armas; la wiphala; la escarapela; la flor de la kantuta y la flor del patujú." (Article 6. II. State symbols are the flag tricolor red, yellow and green; the Bolivian national anthem; coat of arms; the wiphala; the cockade; the flower of kantuta and the flower of patujú.) Constitution of Bolivia Archived 24 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Bandera de Bolivia". Bolivia.com. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  6. DeveNet S.R.L./LexiVox. "Bolivian Flag". Lexivox.org. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 "Gaceta Oficial del Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia" (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 "PANTONE 485 C - Find a Pantone Color". Archived from the original on 11 March 2017. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  9. 1 2 3 "PANTONE Process Yellow C - Find a Pantone Color". Archived from the original on 12 July 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 "PANTONE 356 C - Find a Pantone Color". Archived from the original on 26 May 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  11. "Photos: Dassault Falcon 900EX Aircraft Pictures - Airliners.net". Airliners.net. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  12. "Por decreto, el Ejecutivo fija dos fechas fechas de fundación del país". Eju.tv. 28 January 2010. Retrieved 12 October 2014.