Colombia’s national flag is a horizontal yellow-blue-red tricolour in which the yellow band occupies the upper half and the blue and red bands each occupy one quarter.
What does the Colombian flag look like?
The top half of the flag is yellow. The lower half is divided equally between blue and red. Law 12 of 1984 specifies this 2:1:1 relationship between the three bands.
Where did the colors come from?
The yellow-blue-red tricolour traces its roots to independence leader Francisco de Miranda and later to Gran Colombia, the early nineteenth-century republic that included present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama. Colombia retained the tricolour tradition after Gran Colombia dissolved.
Official meaning of the colors
Colombia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs describes yellow as representing abundance and the wealth of the land, as well as sovereignty, harmony and justice. Blue represents the seas and the two oceans bordering Colombia. Red represents the blood that gives life to the heart and is associated with love, strength and progress.
Colombia flag facts
- Colors: yellow, blue and red
- Band proportions: 2:1:1
- Historic tradition: Miranda and Gran Colombia
- Modern use regulated by: national-symbol legislation
Source
Primary reference: Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs — national symbols.
