Flag of Bolivia
Encyclopedia
The current flag of Bolivia was originally adopted by Bolivia
in 1851. The state flag and ensign (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, the red stands for Bolivia's brave soldiers, while the green symbolizes fertility
and yellow the nation's mineral deposits.
According to the new constitution, the Wiphala
is considered a national symbol of Bolivia (along with the flag, national anthem, coat of arms, the cockade; kantuta flower and patujú flower).
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
).
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.
The dimensions of the flag had not been defined since its adoption in 1851. The Supreme Decrete Nº 27630 of 2004 finally established that the size of the national flag be of 7.5 squares width by 11 squares long, a square can be any size, but always using the ratio 15:22.
.
The exact colors of the Bolivian flag have been established by the Supreme Decrete of 2004:
, adopted in 1957. This does not include, of course, the black star. Bolivia's flag is also similar to the Ethiopian flag
which has the same colors but in the reverse order.
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
in 1851. The state flag and ensign (and war flag) is a horizontal tricolor of red, yellow and green with the Bolivian coat of arms
Coat of arms of Bolivia
The coat of arms of Bolivia has a central cartouche surrounded by Bolivian flags, muskets, laurel branches, and has an Andean condor on top.The central cartouche has a border with ten stars in the bottom, which symbolize the nine Departamentos and the former province Litoral that was taken over by...
in the center. According to one source, the red stands for Bolivia's brave soldiers, while the green symbolizes fertility
Fertility
Fertility is the natural capability of producing offsprings. As a measure, "fertility rate" is the number of children born per couple, person or population. Fertility differs from fecundity, which is defined as the potential for reproduction...
and yellow the nation's mineral deposits.
According to the new constitution, the Wiphala
Wiphala
The Wiphala is a square emblem, commonly used as a flag, representing the native peoples of all the Andes that include today's Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and parts of Argentina, Chile and Colombia...
is considered a national symbol of Bolivia (along with the flag, national anthem, coat of arms, the cockade; kantuta flower and patujú flower).
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
Flag terminology
Flag terminology is a jargon used in vexillology, the study of flags, to describe precisely the parts, patterns, and other attributes of flags and their display.-Description of standard flag parts and terms:...
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
Departments of Bolivia
Bolivia is divided into nine departments . Each of the departments is subdivided into provinces , which are further subdivided into municipalities ....
, and the larger star the nation's right to access the sea (access that it lost in 1884 in the War of the Pacific
War of the Pacific
The War of the Pacific took place in western South America from 1879 through 1883. Chile fought against Bolivia and Peru. Despite cooperation among the three nations in the war against Spain, disputes soon arose over the mineral-rich Peruvian provinces of Tarapaca, Tacna, and Arica, and the...
).
Design and dimensions
The national flag of Bolivia is described as a tricolorTricolor
Tricolor or tricolor may refer to something with three colors :* Tricolour flag, any flag or banner having three colours, particularly in bands of approximately equal width** Tricolour, the flag of France, commonly called the Tricolour in English...
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.
The dimensions of the flag had not been defined since its adoption in 1851. The Supreme Decrete Nº 27630 of 2004 finally established that the size of the national flag be of 7.5 squares width by 11 squares long, a square can be any size, but always using the ratio 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 Decrete of 1888 during the government of President Gregorio PachecoGregorio Pacheco
Gregorio Pacheco Leyes was the constitutional President of Bolivia from 1884 to 1888. A native of Potosí, Pacheco won a disputed election that was a virtual three-way tie between him, Conservative leader Aniceto Arce, and Liberal chief Eliodoro Camacho. Pacheco was a wealthy man and the country's...
.
- Red: represents the blood shed by our heroes for the birth and preservation of the Republic
- Yellow: represents our wealth and resources.
- Green: represents the wealth of our nature and the hope, as a principle of our society
The exact colors of the Bolivian flag have been established by the Supreme Decrete of 2004:
| Denominación | Red | Yellow | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pantone Pantone Pantone Inc. is a corporation headquartered in Carlstadt, New Jersey, USA. The company is best known for its Pantone Matching System , a proprietary color space... |
485 | 116 | 356 |
| RGB RGB color model The RGB color model is an additive color model in which red, green, and blue light is added together in various ways to reproduce a broad array of colors... |
213-43-30 | 252-209-22 | 0-121-52 |
| CMYK CMYK color model The CMYK color model is a subtractive color model, used in color printing, and is also used to describe the printing process itself. CMYK refers to the four inks used in some color printing: cyan, magenta, yellow, and key... |
C0-M80-Y86-K16 | C0-M17-Y91-K0 | C100-M0-Y57-K53 |
| HEX Hexadecimal In mathematics and computer science, hexadecimal is a positional numeral system with a radix, or base, of 16. It uses sixteen distinct symbols, most often the symbols 0–9 to represent values zero to nine, and A, B, C, D, E, F to represent values ten to fifteen... |
#D52B1E | #FCD116 | #007934 |
Similar flags
With some variation in the particular shades of the colors and the size proportions of the flag, the design of the flag of Bolivia is similar to that of the flag of GhanaFlag of Ghana
The flag of Ghana was designed to replace the flag of the United Kingdom upon attainment of independence in 1957. It was flown until 1959, and then reinstated in 1966. It consists of the Pan-African colours of red, yellow, and green, in horizontal stripes, with a black five-pointed star in the...
, adopted in 1957. This does not include, of course, the black star. Bolivia's flag is also similar to the Ethiopian flag
Flag of Ethiopia
The flag of Ethiopia is a flag that was adopted on February 6, 1996. It conforms to the specifications set forth in article 3 of the 1995 Constitution of Ethiopia. The three traditional colours date back to Emperor Menelik and were first used in a flag in 1897...
which has the same colors but in the reverse order.