Flag of Bolivia
The flag of Bolivia has three equal horizontal stripes of red, yellow and green. The state version shown here has the national coat of arms in the middle.
At a glance
- Adopted
- October 31, 1851the red, yellow and green order dates from 1851; later decrees in 1888, 2004 and 2009 confirmed it. The version shown here is the state flag with the coat of arms; the plain tricolour is the civil flag
- Capital
- Sucre (constitutional capital); the seat of government is La Paz
- Continent
- South America
- Colours
- red
- yellow
- green
What it means
- Red: the blood and bravery of Bolivia's heroes and soldiers
- Yellow: the country's mineral wealth and resources
- Green: the richness of nature, fertile land and hope
Where it came from
Bolivia became independent from Spain in 1825 and is named after Simon Bolivar. Its first flags, in 1825 and 1826, already used red, yellow and green, but in other arrangements, with stars or a coat of arms.
The current order, with red on top, was set by President Manuel Isidoro Belzu on 31 October 1851.
History
Bolivia uses two versions. The plain tricolour is the civil flag, flown by people at festivals and national holidays. The state flag adds the coat of arms, with a condor, the Potosi silver mountain and an alpaca, and is used for official events.
The 2009 constitution also made the Wiphala, a square flag with a checkered rainbow pattern used by Andean Indigenous peoples, an official national symbol. It is flown next to the tricolour at government buildings.
Fun facts
- Bolivia has no coast, but it still has a navy. Its naval flag has a big star to remember the sea coast it lost in a war in the 1880s.
- Bolivia has two national flags in official use: the tricolour and the rainbow-checked Wiphala.
- The exact shape of the flag was not fixed by law until 2004, more than 150 years after it was adopted.
Easy to mix up with
Ghana
Ethiopia
LithuaniaQuestions
What does the flag of Bolivia look like?
The flag of Bolivia has three equal horizontal stripes of red, yellow and green. The state version shown here has the national coat of arms in the middle.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of Bolivia mean?
Red: the blood and bravery of Bolivia's heroes and soldiers; Yellow: the country's mineral wealth and resources; Green: the richness of nature, fertile land and hope.
When was the flag of Bolivia adopted?
The current flag of Bolivia was adopted on October 31, 1851. (the red, yellow and green order dates from 1851; later decrees in 1888, 2004 and 2009 confirmed it. The version shown here is the state flag with the coat of arms; the plain tricolour is the civil flag)
What colours are on the flag of Bolivia?
The flag of Bolivia uses red, yellow and green.
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of Bolivia?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of Ghana. Ghana has the same red, yellow and green stripes, but with a black star in the middle
Famous landmarks in Bolivia
🎯 Play the flag quiz 🌍 Play the globe
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- britannica.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)