Flag of Ecuador facts for kids
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| Name | La Tricolor (The Tricolor) |
|---|---|
| Use | State and war flag, state and naval ensign   |
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Adopted | 26 September 1860 (present ratio, November 2009) |
| Design | A horizontal tricolor of yellow (double width), blue and red with the National Coat of Arms superimposed at the center. |
Variant flag of Republic of Ecuador
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| Use | Civil flag and ensign   |
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Design | A horizontal tricolor of yellow (double width), blue and red. |
The national flag of Ecuador has horizontal bands of yellow (double width), blue and red. It was first adopted in 1835 and later on 26 September 1860. In 1900 the coat of arms was added in the center of the flag.
Before using the yellow, blue and red tricolor, Ecuador used white and blue flags with stars for each province of the country. The design of the flag is very similar to those of Colombia and Venezuela, which are former territories of Gran Colombia. All three are based on the design that was proposed by Venezuelan General Francisco de Miranda.
Along with Haiti, the Dominican Republic and El Salvador, it is one of only four national flags whose design has a depiction of the flag itself.
Design
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The Ecuadorian National Secretariat of Communication (Secretaría Nacional de Comunicación) issued regulations describing the applications and proportions of the national flag, coat of arms, and other national symbols in November 2009.
The national flag is 2.20 meters long and 1.47 m wide. It has three horizontal colored bands: a yellow band (half the flag's width), a blue band (one-quarter the width), and a red band (one-quarter the width). The Ecuadorian coat of arms is in the center of the flag.
Coat of arms
In the background of the oval shield is the mountain Chimborazo. The river flowing from its base is the Guayas. Chimborazo is also the highest mountain in Ecuador and is part of the Andes Range. The steamboat on the river is named Guayas as well. The ship was built in Guayaquil and was the first steamship that could sail on the sea, ever built in both Ecuador and in all of South America. It was first put into service on 9 October 1841. Its mast has two wings surrounding a pole with two snakes around it. On top a golden sun surrounded by the Zodiac astrological signs for Aries, Taurus, Gemini and Cancer representing the months March to July to symbolize the duration of the March Revolution of 1845 that ousted General Juan José Flores.
The condor on top of the shield stretches his wings to symbolize power, greatness and strength of Ecuador. The condor also represents the idea that it will always be ready to attack any enemy. The shield is flanked by four national flags. The laurel on the left represents the victories of the republic. The palm leaf on the right side is a symbol of the martyrs of the fight for independence and liberty. The Fasces below the shield represents the republican dignity. The final design of the coat of arms was completed in 1900.
Symbolism
Francisco de Miranda chose the colours for his flag according to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's theory of primary colours. In a letter written to Count Semyon Romanovich Vorontsov in 1792, Miranda described a late-night conversation which he had with Goethe at a party in Weimar, Germany during the winter of 1785. Goethe told him that, "Your destiny is to create in your land a place where primary colours are not distorted.” He proceeded to clarify what he meant:
First he explained to me the way the iris transforms the light into the three primary colours... then he said, "Why yellow is the most warm, noble and closest to the bright light; why Blue is that mix of excitement and serenity, so far that it evokes the shadows; and why Red is the exaltation of Yellow and Blue, the synthesis, the vanishing of the bright light into the shadows".
The first time the yellow, blue and red flag was flown by Miranda was in 1806 on the ship Leander when trying to face the Spanish forces off of the coast of Jacmel, Haiti. The colors of the modern Ecuadorian flag evolved from those of the flag of the nation of Gran Colombia, which encompassed the territories of modern-day Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela. The colors have the following meanings:
- Yellow: The crops and the fertile soil.
- Blue: The ocean and the clear skies
- Red: The blood spilled by the heroes who died in the name of their countrymen's Fatherland and Freedom.
Colours scheme |
Yellow | Blue | Red |
|---|---|---|---|
| RGB | 255-221-0 | 3-78-162 | 237-28-36 |
| HEX | #ffdd00 | #034ea2 | #ed1c24 |
| CMYK | 0-13-100-0 | 98-52-0-36 | 0-88-85-7 |
Pledge and hymn
Students and military cadets in Ecuador are required to recite a pledge to the flag, known as the "Juramento a la Bandera" or "Pledge to the Flag." This pledge is usually stated during national holiday or important school functions, such as graduations. There is also a patriotic song called the "Himno a la Bandera" ("Hymn to the Flag") that is after the "Juramento a la Bandera" or before flag retirement ceremonies.
Resemblance to other flags
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The flags of Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela, can all trace their roots to the flag of the nation of Gran Colombia (1819–1830), the short-lived republic that encompassed the territories of all three. The Gran Colombian flag in turn was inspired by the flag of the First Republic of Venezuela, the first independent government of that nation. The flag of the Venezuelan Republic was modeled on the one created earlier by General Francisco de Miranda during his attempts to gain Venezuelan independence and which first flew over the port of La Vela in Santa Ana de Coro, Venezuela, in 1806.
As of 2006, the Ecuadoran flag still shares some similarity with the flags of Colombia and Venezuela. All three flags use the yellow, blue and red tricolor, but that is where the similarities end. In a decree passed in Colombia in 1934, the ratio of the stripes were set at 2:1:1 and the flag ratio was set at 2:3, similar to the present Ecuador flag. However, the coat of arms is only changed in the middle of the flag when it is used by government officials or by military forces. For Venezuela, the basic design was to have all three strips even vertically, unlike those of Colombia and Ecuador. Since 1863, Venezuela decided to change their flag with white stars instead of a coat of arms. A coat of arms was added to the national flag in 1954, then changed again in 2006 to add another star and alter the coat of arms. The position of the coat of arms on the Venezuelan flag also differs from Ecuador and Colombia by placing the arms at the very top hoist (left) side of the flag instead of in the center.
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Flag of Colombia
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Flag of Venezuela
See also
In Spanish: Bandera de Ecuador para niños
