Flag of Colombia

Flag origins

Colombia’s flag has yellow, blue and red horizontal bands. Yellow occupies half the flag; blue and red each occupy a quarter, as specified in law. The Foreign Ministry explains yellow as the land’s wealth, sovereignty, harmony and justice; blue as the seas, including the Pacific and Atlantic on the Caribbean side; and red as blood, life, love, power, strength and progress. The design descends from the tricolour devised by independence pioneer Francisco de Miranda. The Japanese source attributes its first raising at La Vela, in present-day Venezuela, on March 12, 1806, to the Colombian Foreign Ministry.

Flag story

The resemblance between Colombia’s, Venezuela’s and Ecuador’s flags is not accidental. Their present territories, together with Panama and others, once formed the republic created by Simón Bolívar and fellow independence leaders, now commonly called Gran Colombia. Although that state had broken apart by 1831, Miranda’s yellow-blue-red colors were inherited. Colombia uses the tricolour, Venezuela adds stars, and Ecuador adds arms, making them look like sibling flags.

Editorial notes and references

Edited by ABELHA WORKS. The English text translates the administrator-edited Japanese description. Legends should be distinguished from documented history. General reference links do not substantiate every statement in the text.

• Colombia — general information on Wikipedia
• Japan MOFA: countries and regions (Japanese)

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