The national flag of Uruguay () is one of the three official flags of Uruguay along with the flag of Artigas and the flag of the Treinta y Tres. It has a field of nine equal horizontal stripes alternating white and blue. The

canton Canton may refer to: Administrative division terminology * Canton (administrative division), territorial/administrative division in some countries, notably Switzerland * Township (Canada), known as ''canton'' in Canadian French Arts and ent ...

is white, charged with the Sun of May, from which 16 rays extend, alternating between triangular and wavy. The flag was first adopted by law on 18 December 1828, and had 19 alternating stripes of white and blue until 11 July 1830, when a new law reduced the number of alternating stripes to nine. The flag was designed by Joaquín Suárez.

Symbolism and design

The horizontal stripes on the flag represent the nine original departments of Uruguay, based on the U.S. flag, where the stripes represent the original 13 colonies. The first flag designed in 1828 had 9 light blue stripes; this number was reduced to 4 in 1830 due to visibility problems from distance. The stripes of blue and white were inspired by the

flag of Argentina The national flag of the Argentine Republic is a triband (flag), triband, composed of three equally wide horizontal bands coloured light blue and white. There are multiple interpretations on the reasons for those colors. The flag was created by ...

, making the flag of Uruguay part of both the Stars and Stripes and Belgrano flag families. The golden Sun of May represents the May Revolution of 1810; the Sun of May is a figurative sun that represents Inti, the

sun god A solar deity or sun deity is a deity who represents the Sun, or an aspect of it. Such deities are usually associated with power and strength. Solar deities and Sun worship can be found throughout most of recorded history in various forms. The ...

and mythological founder of the Incan Empire. It also appears in the

Flag of Argentina The national flag of the Argentine Republic is a triband (flag), triband, composed of three equally wide horizontal bands coloured light blue and white. There are multiple interpretations on the reasons for those colors. The flag was created by ...

and the Coat of Arms of Bolivia.

Colors scheme

The specific color hues of the flag are not officially defined by law, however most representations use the following:

Co-official flags

The National Pavilion shares its official status with two other flags, although it possesses a higher hierarchical position amongst them:

Historical banners

During Spanish rule: Independence from Spain: Flag of Cisplatina, under Portuguese/Brazilian rule between 1821 and 1825: Uruguayan independence:

Historical flags

Variations

During the Great Siege of Montevideo (1843–1851) Uruguay had two parallel governments, with two different flags:

Gallery

Flags of subdivisions

Departments

File:Flag of Artigas Department.svg, Artigas File:Flag of Canelones Department.svg, Canelones File:Flag of Cerro Largo Department.svg, Cerro Largo File:Flag of Colonia Department.svg, Colonia File:Flag of Durazno Department.svg, Durazno File:Flag of Flores Department.png,

Flores Flores is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, a group of islands in the eastern half of Indonesia. Including the Komodo Islands off its west coast (but excluding the Solor Archipelago to the east of Flores), the land area is 15,530.58 km2, and th ...

File:Flag of Florida Department.png, Florida File:Flag of Lavalleja Department.png,

Lavalleja Lavalleja () is a department of Uruguay. Its capital is Minas. It is located in the southeast of the country, bordered to the north by the department of Treinta y Tres to the east with Rocha, to the south with Canelones and Maldonado, and to ...

File:Flag of Maldonado Department.png, Maldonado File:Flag of Paysandú Department.svg, Paysandú File:Flag of Rio Negro Department.png, Río Negro File:Flag of Rivera Department.png, Rivera File:Flag of Rocha Department.svg,

Rocha Rocha may refer to: * Rocha (surname), a Portuguese surname * Rocha, Moca, Puerto Rico, a barrio in the municipality of Moca, Puerto Rico * Rocha, Rio de Janeiro, a neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil * Rocha, Uruguay, capital city of the Rocha ...

File:Flag of Salto Department.svg, Salto File:Flag of San José Department.svg,

San José San José or San Jose (Spanish for Saint Joseph) most often refers to: *San Jose, California, United States *San José, Costa Rica, the nation's capital San José or San Jose may also refer to: Places Argentina * San José, Buenos Aires ** San ...

File:Flag of Soriano Department.svg, Soriano File:Flag of Treinta y Tres Department.svg, Treinta y Tres

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Uruguay, Flag Of National flags National symbols of Uruguay 1830 establishments in Uruguay