Palacio Legislativo, Montevideo, Uruguay

The Flag of Artigas is one of the three official flags of Uruguay. Originally the national flag of the

Liga Federal Liga or LIGA may refer to: People * Līga (name), a Latvian female given name * Luciano Ligabue, more commonly known as Ligabue or ''Liga'', Italian rock singer-songwriter Sports * Liga ACB, men's professional basketball league in Spain * Liga ...

between 1815 and

1820 Events January–March *January 1 – Nominal beginning of the Trienio Liberal in Spain: A constitutionalist military insurrection at Cádiz leads to the summoning of the Spanish Parliament (March 7). *January 8 – General Maritime T ...

, it was then officialized by the Uruguayan state in

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

, nowadays pays homage to

José Gervasio Artigas José Gervasio Artigas Arnal (; June 19, 1764 – September 23, 1850) was a political leader, military general, statesman and national hero of Uruguay and the broader Río de la Plata region. He fought in the Latin American wars of in ...

, its designer and the national hero of

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

. It has three horizontal stripes inspired by the Belgrano's Flag, the top and bottom being blue, and the central one white. On top of them, it is crossed by a diagonal red stripe, a symbol of federalism. In Uruguay, the flag of Artigas must be flown alongside the National Flag and the

Flag of the Treinta y Tres The Flag of the Treinta y Tres is one of the three official flags of Uruguay, along with the National Flag of Uruguay and the Flag of Artigas. Inspired on the flag of the Oriental Province with an added motto it was first used in 1825 in the ...

near or on government buildings.

History

It was designed by

José Artigas José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

himself based on the flag created in 1812 by

Manuel Belgrano Manuel José Joaquín del Corazón de Jesús Belgrano y González (3 June 1770 – 20 June 1820), usually referred to as Manuel Belgrano (), was an Argentine public servant, economist, lawyer, politician, journalist, and military leader. He ...

, but adding a red stripe to represent federalism. It was the flag of the

, a confederation of South American provinces established by Artigas.

Use as military emblems

The Flag of Artigas, and emblems derived from it, have traditionally been used as the symbols of the

Military of Uruguay The Armed Forces of Uruguay ( es, Fuerzas Armadas del Uruguay or ''FF.AA. del Uruguay'') consist of an army, navy, and air force. These three branches are constitutionally subordinate to the President of Uruguay through the Minister of Defense. Th ...

Uruguayan Navy

From 1930s to 1990s, warships of the

Uruguayan Navy The National Navy of Uruguay () is a branch of the Armed Forces of Uruguay under the direction of the Ministry of National Defense and the commander in chief of the Navy (''Comandante en Jefe de la Armada'' or COMAR). History Independence Unde ...

flew the Flag of Artigas as the

naval jack A jack is a flag flown from a short jackstaff at the bow (front) of a vessel, while the ensign is flown on the stern (rear). Jacks on bowsprits or foremasts appeared in the 17th century. A country may have different jacks for different p ...

, until being replaced by modified pre-1930s design in recent years.

Uruguayan Air Force

The aircraft of the

Uruguayan Air Force The Uruguayan Air Force ( es, Fuerza Aérea Uruguaya, abbreviated FAU) is the air service branch of the Armed Forces of Uruguay. Originally created as part of the National Army of Uruguay, the Air Force was established as a separate branch on Dec ...

display the Flag of Artigas on the fins, as well as a circular version of the flag (

roundel A roundel is a circular disc used as a symbol. The term is used in heraldry, but also commonly used to refer to a type of national insignia used on military aircraft, generally circular in shape and usually comprising concentric rings of diff ...

) on the fuselages and wings.

Uruguayan army and general military use

There is also a different version of the roundel, known as the Artigas' Cockade, which is worn as a

cockade A cockade is a knot of ribbons, or other circular- or oval-shaped symbol of distinctive colours which is usually worn on a hat or cap. Eighteenth century In the 18th and 19th centuries, coloured cockades were used in Europe to show the alleg ...

on the uniforms of the

, and also serves as the emblem of the

Uruguayan Army The National Army of Uruguay ( es, Ejército Nacional del Uruguay) is the land force An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" ...

. It is likewise based on the Flag of Artigas, but with blue at the centre, surrounded by white then blue, and with the red diagonal stripe overall.

Other flags

The flag of the Argentine province of Entre Ríos, mostly governed by the Federal Party and Justo José Urquiza between 1842 and 1870, is inspired on the flag of Artigas and looks very similar, except that it has a 9:14 ratio and the blue stripes are much lighter. Bandera_de_la_Provincia_de_Entre_R%C3%ADos

Bandera_de_la_Provincia_de_Entre_R%C3%ADos

References

Flags of Uruguay José Gervasio Artigas {{Flag-stub