The official flag

Flag

A flag is a piece of fabric with a distinctive design that is usually rectangular and used as a symbol, as a signaling device, or decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium.The first flags were used to assist...

of the Republic of Costa Rica

Costa Rica

Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....

is based on a design created in 1848. The state/national flag

National flag

A national flag is a flag that symbolizes a country. The flag is flown by the government, but usually can also be flown by citizens of the country.Both public and private buildings such as schools and courthouses may fly the national flag...

, also used as the military ensign

Ensign

An ensign is a national flag when used at sea, in vexillology, or a distinguishing token, emblem, or badge, such as a symbol of office in heraldry...

, includes the coat of arms of Costa Rica

Coat of arms of Costa Rica

The official coat of arms of the Republic of Costa Rica was designed in 1848, with modifications in 1906, 1964, and most recently the 1998 addition of smoke to distinguish three volcanoes...

. The civil ensign

Civil ensign

The civil ensign is the national flag flown by civil ships to denote nationality...

, commonly used as an unofficial national flag

National flag

A national flag is a flag that symbolizes a country. The flag is flown by the government, but usually can also be flown by citizens of the country.Both public and private buildings such as schools and courthouses may fly the national flag...

, omits the coat of arms.

The flag was officially adopted on November 27, 1906, including a slight modification to the placement and design of the entrenched coat of arms. The flag was updated to reflect concurrent modifications to the national coat of arms in 1964 and 1998.

Colors

Scheme	|Red	Captaincy General of Guatemala Captaincy General of Guatemala The Captaincy General of Guatemala , also known as the Kingdom of Guatemala , was an administrative division in Spanish America which covered much of Central America, including what are now the nations of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, and the Mexican state of Chiapas... , which was nominally part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain New Spain New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...  (i.e., Mexico Mexico The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of... ), but which in practice operated as a largely autonomous entity within the Spanish Empire Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power.... . As such, the land of present Costa Rica was covered by the various flags of the Spanish and Mexican Empires until 1823. Costa Rica was part of the Federal Republic of Central America Federal Republic of Central America The Federal Republic of Central America, known as the United Provinces of Central America in its first year of creation, was a sovereign state in Central America, which consisted of the territories of the former Captaincy General of Guatemala of New Spain...  (originally known as the "United Provinces of Central America"), a sovereign state Sovereign state A sovereign state, or simply, state, is a state with a defined territory on which it exercises internal and external sovereignty, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states. It is also normally understood to be a state which is neither...  in Central America Central America Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent... , which consisted of the territories of the former Captaincy General of Guatemala Captaincy General of Guatemala The Captaincy General of Guatemala , also known as the Kingdom of Guatemala , was an administrative division in Spanish America which covered much of Central America, including what are now the nations of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, and the Mexican state of Chiapas... . A republican democracy Republican democracy A republican democracy is a republic which has democratic forms of government. One of the key principles is free and open debate prior to casting a vote. A republic in the modern understanding is a nation or state where the people are sovereign. It is not a monarchy, where the king or queen is the... , it existed from July 1823 to 1841. During this period, Costa Rica used the flag of the United Provinces of Central America, augmented by variations specific to State of Costa Rica within the United Provinces of Central America (a blue and white striped United Provinces flag, with the Costa Rican State Seal added). When the Federal Republic of Central America unofficially dissolved by 1841, Costa Rica made a further modification to its variation of the United Provinces of Central America flag. Flags since 1848 The blue, white and red horizontal design was created in 1848 by Pacífica Fernández Pacífica Fernández Pacífica Fernández Oreamuno was First Lady of Costa Rica and wife of President José María Castro Madriz. She was born in San José, Costa Ricaon August 23, 1828 to her parents former Head of State Manuel Fernández Chacón and Dolores Oreamuno Muñoz de la Trinidad, and was sister of President... , wife of then president José María Castro Madriz José María Castro Madriz First term:8 May 1847 to16 November 1849– Preceded by: José María Alfaro Zamora– Succeeded by: Juan Rafael MoraSecond term:8 May 1866 to1 November 1868– Preceded by: Jesús Jiménez– Succeeded by: ... . Fernández was inspired by France's 1848 Revolution, and the creation of the French Second Republic French Second Republic The French Second Republic was the republican government of France between the 1848 Revolution and the coup by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte which initiated the Second Empire. It officially adopted the motto Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité... . The new design to the Costa Rican flag adopted the colors of the French tricolor Flag of France The national flag of France is a tricolour featuring three vertical bands coloured royal blue , white, and red... . The blue color stands for the sky Sky The sky is the part of the atmosphere or outer space visible from the surface of any astronomical object. It is difficult to define precisely for several reasons. During daylight, the sky of Earth has the appearance of a pale blue surface because the air scatters the sunlight. The sky is sometimes... , opportunities Opportunity Opportunity may refer to:*Opportunity International - An International microfinance network that lends to the working poor*Opportunity NYC is the experimental Conditional Cash Transfer program being launched in New York City... , idealism Idealism In philosophy, idealism is the family of views which assert that reality, or reality as we can know it, is fundamentally mental, mentally constructed, or otherwise immaterial. Epistemologically, idealism manifests as a skepticism about the possibility of knowing any mind-independent thing...  and perseverance Perseverance Perseverance may refer to:* Perseverance , a card game* Perseverance , American fighter Brock Lesnar* Perseverance... . The white White White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...  color stands for peace Peace Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the... , wisdom Wisdom Wisdom is a deep understanding and realization of people, things, events or situations, resulting in the ability to apply perceptions, judgements and actions in keeping with this understanding. It often requires control of one's emotional reactions so that universal principles, reason and...  and happiness Happiness Happiness is a mental state of well-being characterized by positive emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. A variety of biological, psychological, religious, and philosophical approaches have striven to define happiness and identify its sources.... . The red Red Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...  color stands for the blood Blood Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....  spilt by martyr Martyr A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:... s in defense of the country, as well as the warmth and generosity Generosity Generosity is the habit of giving freely without expecting anything in return. It can involve offering time, assets or talents to aid someone in need...  of the people. The stripes are in the ratio 1:1:2:1:1. The coat of arms of Costa Rica was also revised in 1848 and placed in the center of the flag. In 1906, when the coat of arms was modified, the updat was placed in a white disk on the flag's red stripe, and later on an oval, set toward the hoist. The coat of arms depicts the isthmus between the Pacific ocean and the Caribbean Sea, with 3 volcanoes. The 7 stars stand for the 7 provinces of Costa Rica. The Spanish name of the country is scrolled on a white banner, Republica de Costa Rica (Republic of Costa Rica), and the Central American union is recognized in the blue upper scroll, America Central, recalling the former United Provinces of Central America. The flag of Costa Rica is similar to the flag of Thailand Flag of Thailand The flag of the Kingdom of Thailand shows five horizontal stripes in the colours red, white, blue, white and red, with the middle blue stripe being twice as wide as each of the other four. The design was adopted on 28 September 1917, according to the royal decree about the flag in that year; the... , which was adopted 11 years later. It also resembles the flag of North Korea Flag of North Korea The flag of North Korea was adopted on September 8, 1948, as the national flag and ensign. The red star of Communism can be seen on this flag on a white disc. The flag was adopted in 1948, when Northern portion of Korea became a Communist state. The traditional Korean flag was red, white, and blue...  which was adopted almost 42 years later in 1948. Historical flags See also Coat of arms of Costa Rica Coat of arms of Costa Rica The official coat of arms of the Republic of Costa Rica was designed in 1848, with modifications in 1906, 1964, and most recently the 1998 addition of smoke to distinguish three volcanoes... International maritime signal flag "C" (Charlie) List of Costa Rican flags The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL. Silverdale Interactive © 2024. All Rights Reserved.   x OK