Flag of Venezuela
Three equal horizontal stripes of yellow, blue and red, with eight white five-pointed stars in an arch on the blue stripe.
At a glance
- Adopted
- March 12, 2006the eighth star was added in March 2006 (approved by the National Assembly on 7 March); the tricolour itself dates from 1806-1811
- Shape (height : width)
- 2:3
- Capital
- Caracas
- Continent
- South America
- Colours
- yellow
- blue
- red
- white
What it means
- Yellow: the wealth of the land, gold, the sun and justice
- Blue: the sea: the Caribbean coast, or the ocean that separates Venezuela from Spain (sources say it differently)
- Red: the blood shed in the war of independence
- Seven stars: the seven provinces that signed the 1811 Declaration of Independence
- Eighth star: the old province of Guayana, as Bolivar decreed in 1817; adding it in 2006 was controversial
Where it came from
The yellow, blue and red tricolour was created by Francisco de Miranda, a Venezuelan hero of independence, for his 1806 expedition to free Venezuela from Spain. It was first flown at Jacmel in Haiti on 12 March 1806, and the National Congress adopted it in 1811.
Miranda said he got the colour idea from a late-night talk with the German writer Goethe about colour; this story is not well proven.
History
Stars on the blue stripe stood for the seven provinces that signed the 1811 Declaration of Independence. For many years the flag had seven stars.
In 2006, under President Hugo Chavez, an eighth star was added, following an 1817 decree by Simon Bolivar for the province of Guayana. Official flags for government buildings and the armed forces also show the coat of arms in the top left corner; the everyday national flag has only the stars.
Fun facts
- The flag has its own song, composed in 1889.
- Venezuela's Flag Day moved in 2006 from 12 March to 3 August, the day the flag first flew on Venezuelan soil.
- Miranda's flag inspired the flags of both Colombia and Ecuador.
- The flag had seven stars for most of its history and gained an eighth only in 2006.
Easy to mix up with
Colombia
EcuadorQuestions
What does the flag of Venezuela look like?
Three equal horizontal stripes of yellow, blue and red, with eight white five-pointed stars in an arch on the blue stripe.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of Venezuela mean?
Yellow: the wealth of the land, gold, the sun and justice; Blue: the sea: the Caribbean coast, or the ocean that separates Venezuela from Spain (sources say it differently); Red: the blood shed in the war of independence; Seven stars: the seven provinces that signed the 1811 Declaration of Independence; Eighth star: the old province of Guayana, as Bolivar decreed in 1817; adding it in 2006 was controversial.
When was the flag of Venezuela adopted?
The current flag of Venezuela was adopted on March 12, 2006. (the eighth star was added in March 2006 (approved by the National Assembly on 7 March); the tricolour itself dates from 1806-1811)
What colours are on the flag of Venezuela?
The flag of Venezuela uses yellow, blue, red and white.
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of Venezuela?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of Colombia. Colombia has the same colours, but its yellow stripe is twice as tall and it has no stars
Famous landmarks in Venezuela
🎯 Play the flag quiz 🌍 Play the globe
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)