National symbols of Colombia
Encyclopedia
Symbol
A symbol is something which represents an idea, a physical entity or a process but is distinct from it. The purpose of a symbol is to communicate meaning. For example, a red octagon may be a symbol for "STOP". On a map, a picture of a tent might represent a campsite. Numerals are symbols for...
s which represent the national identity of the Republic of Colombia as 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...
. The national symbols intend to represent the Colombian identity by creating visual, verbal cultural icon
Cultural icon
A cultural icon can be a symbol, logo, picture, name, face, person, building or other image that is readily recognized and generally represents an object or concept with great cultural significance to a wide cultural group...
ic representations of the national people, values, goals
Culture of Colombia
Many aspects of Colombian culture can be traced back to the early culture of Spain of the 16th century and its collision with Colombia's native civilizations . The Spanish brought Catholicism, African slaves, the feudal encomienda system, and a caste system that favored European-born whites...
, and history
History of Colombia
This article deals with the history of Colombia, a country in South America.-Pre-Colombian period:Approximately 10,000 years BC hunter-gatherer societies existed near present-day Bogotá , and they traded with one another and with cultures living in the Magdalena River valley...
.
These symbols are often rallied around as part of celebrations of patriotism
Patriotism
Patriotism is a devotion to one's country, excluding differences caused by the dependencies of the term's meaning upon context, geography and philosophy...
and are designed to be inclusive and representative of all the peoples of the national community.
National Flag of Colombia
Flag of Colombia
After Miranda later designed his flag based on this conversation, he happily recalled seeing a fresco by Lazzaro Tavarone in the Palazzo Belimbau in Genoa that depicted Christopher Columbus unfurling a similar-coloured flag in Veragua during his fourth voyage....
was defined in 1934 by the Decrees 861 of 1934, expedited by the Government of Colombia
Government of Colombia
The government of Colombiais a republic with separation of powers into executive, judicial and legislative branches.Its legislature has a congress,its judiciary has a supreme court, andits executive branch has a president....
during the presidencies
President of Colombia
The President of Colombia is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Colombia. The office of president was established upon the ratification of the Constitution of 1819, by the Congress of Angostura, convened in December 1819, when Colombia was part of "la Gran Colombia"...
of General Pedro Nel Ospina
Pedro Nel Ospina
Pedro Nel Ospina Vázquez was a Colombian general and political figure. He served as president of Colombia between 1922 and 1926.- Biography:...
and Enrique Olaya Herrera
Enrique Olaya Herrera
Enrique Alfredo Olaya Herrera was a Colombian journalist and politician, President of Colombia from August 7, 1930 until August 7, 1934 representing the Colombian Liberal Party.- Early years :...
.
As defined in the Constitution of Colombia Decree number 861 of May 17, 1934 in Article 1, the pavilion, flag and standard of the Republic of Colombia is composed by the yellow, blue and red colors distributed in three horizontal stripes. The yellow top stripe is positioned in the upper area of the flag and has a width of half of the entire flag horizontally. The other two stripes the middle blue and the bottom red will each be a fourth of the total area of the flag. The yellow color represents Colombia's gold and natural wealthiness; the blue color represents the two oceans that border Colombia, the Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
and Atlantic ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
s, rivers and the sky; The red color represents the blood of the patriots that fought against the Spanish monarchy to gain the independence of Colombia. Authorized variations of the Colombian flag also represent the merchant flag of Colombia, the War flag of Colombia exclusively used by the Colombian Army
Colombian Army
The National Army of Colombia is the land military force of the government of Colombia and the largest service of the Colombian Armed Forces...
. The flag with the Colombian coat of arms is of exclusive use of the armed institutions of Colombia.http://www.presidencia.gov.co/prensa_new/historia/bandera2.htm
Coat of arms of Colombia
Coat of arms of Colombia
The coat of arms of Colombia contains a shield with numerous symbols. Perched on top of the shield is an Andean Condor holding an olive crown and the condor symbolizing freedom. The national motto, Libertad y Orden , is on a scroll in between the bird and the shield in black font over golden...
is considered the symbols of all symbols in Colombia. The coat of arms integrates the major symbols for which the Colombian identity prevails. It was updated by Protocol based in Decree 1967 of 1991 as stated in the Colombian Constitution of 1991
Colombian Constitution of 1991
The Political Constitution of Colombia, better known as the Constitution of 1991, is the current governing document of the Republic of Colombia. Promulgated on July 4 of 1991 , it replaced the Constitution of 1886...
. The coat of arms of Colombia is only used in the center of the flag of the President of Colombia, war flag of Colombia and official documents. It can also be used for educational or display purposes within the guidelines of respect for the symbol.
Four flags
The shield is posing over four flags of Colombia diverging from the base in which the two upper ones form an angle of 90º degrees and separated from the bottom ones 15º degrees. These flags are posted towards the coat of arms' vertexVertex (geometry)
In geometry, a vertex is a special kind of point that describes the corners or intersections of geometric shapes.-Of an angle:...
.
National Tree of Colombia
Ceroxylon quindiuense
Ceroxylon quindiuense , is a palm native to the Andean high altitude valley of Cocora in the department of Quindío, northwest Colombia.-Description:...
, is a palm native to the Andean high altitude Cocora valley in the department of Quindío, northwest Colombia.
National flower of Colombia
Cattleya trianae
Cattleya trianae , also known as Flor de Mayo or "Christmas Orchid" , is a plant belonging to the Orchidaceae family. It grows as an epiphytic orchid, with succulent leaves, endemic to Colombia where it was nominated as the National Flower in November 1936...
which was named after the Colombian naturalist José Jerónimo Triana
José Jéronimo Triana
José Jerónimo Triana Silva was a Colombian botanist who catalogued 60,000 specimens representing 8,000 species.For example:* Acisanthera alsinaefolia Triana* Miconia albicans Triana...
. The orchid was selected by botanist Emilio Robledo, in representation of the Colombian Academy of History to determine the most representative flowering plant of Colombia. He described it as one of the most beautiful flowers in the world and selected Cattleya trianae as National symbol.