Colombia is a South American country surrounded by Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean.
Description of the flag
The flag of Colombia is a tricolour of yellow, blue, and red, with yellow covering half the flag and stripes of blue and red covering the rest equally. Or simply the ratio of the colours of the flag is 2:1:1.
What does Colombian flag symbolise?
The colour yellow shows the wealth or gold the country posseses.Blue represents the seas the country shares the coast with and the colour red signifies the sacrifice done for the nation’s independence.
History of the flag
During the beginning of Spanish American wars of Independence, the Free and Independent State of Cundinamarca, along a few other regions, achieved independence from Spain. The nation was located in the present day lands of Southern Colombia.
But in 1815, Spain reconquered the nation. Meanwhile, in the northern regions of the country, another nation: United Provinces of New Granada also took independence in 1810.
Present day flag of the Colombian city of ‘Cartagena de Indias’ is an apery of the United Provinces of New Granada’s flag which was in use back then till 1814. From 1814 to 1816, a tricolour of Yellow, Green and Red was used to represent the nation. In 1816, the nation was reconquered by Spain.
In 1819, Present day areas of Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, accompanied by parts of Northern Peru and Northwestern Brazil took independence and formed ‘Gran Colombia’.
The flag of Gran Colombia became a source of inspiration for the present day flags of Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela.
The first flag of the nation lasted for a year till 1820. From 1820, another flag was in use which was just the first flag with minor differences. This flag was in use till 1821 when another design for the national flag was approved. This flag was in use till 1831, when the dissolution of the Gran Colombia began.
In 1831, Republic of New Granada was formed which also led to a change in the flag. But in 1834, the flag was changed to a vertical tricolour of Red, Blue and Yellow.
This flag continued to be in use even after the constitutional change in 1858 when Republic of New Granada was replaced with a new name: Granadine Confederation.
In 1861, the present day flag was adopted and the flag hasn’t changed as of yet.
Image credits:- Wikipedia
