The national flag of Uruguay () is one of the three official flags 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 ...
along with the
flag of Artigas
The Flag of Artigas is one of the three official flags of Uruguay. Originally the national flag of the Liga Federal between 1815 and 1820, it was then officialized by the Uruguayan state in 1952, nowadays pays homage to José Gervasio Artigas, ...
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 mi ...
. 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
The Sun of May () is a national emblem of Argentina and Uruguay, and appears on the flags of both countries.
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History
According to Diego Abad de Santillán, the Sun of May represents Inti, the Incan god of the sun.
The specification ...
, 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
Joaquín Luis Miguel Suárez de Rondelo (August 18, 1781 in Canelones – December 26, 1868 in Montevideo) was a Uruguayan political figure.
Head of State of Uruguay
In December 1828, Suárez served as the first head of state of the territ ...
.
Symbolism and design
The horizontal stripes on the flag represent the nine original
departments of Uruguay
Uruguay consists of 19 departments (''departamentos''). Each department has a legislature called a Departmental Board. The ''Intendente'' is the department's chief executive.
History
The first division of the Republic into six departments occu ...
, 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
Flag families are sets of national flags with similarities in their design, often based on a shared history, culture, or influence. Families do not include flags with coincidental similarities. Flags may be in multiple flag families. Only twelve c ...
.
The golden
Sun of May
The Sun of May () is a national emblem of Argentina and Uruguay, and appears on the flags of both countries.
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History
According to Diego Abad de Santillán, the Sun of May represents Inti, the Incan god of the sun.
The specification ...
represents the
May Revolution
The May Revolution ( es, Revolución de Mayo) was a week-long series of events that took place from May 18 to 25, 1810, in Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. This Spanish colony included roughly the terri ...
of 1810; the Sun of May is a figurative sun that represents
Inti
INTI International University & Colleges are private university colleges located in Malaysia. The main campus was initially known as INTI University College until 31 May 2010 when the Higher Education Ministry announced its upgrade to universi ...
, 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
The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, (Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The admin ...
. 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
Cisplatina () was a Brazilian province in existence from 1821 to 1828 created by the Luso-Brazilian invasion of the Banda Oriental. From 1815 until 1822 Brazil was a constituent kingdom of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarv ...
, 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
Durazno is the capital city of the department of Durazno in Uruguay. Durazno is characterized by being the most central city of Uruguay. It has a population of more than 30,000 inhabitants. In the past it was the capital of Uruguay; today the ca ...
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
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
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
Paysandú () is the capital of Paysandú Department in western Uruguay.
Location
The city is located on the banks of the Uruguay River, which forms the border with Argentina. It lies northwest of Montevideo via Route 1 and Route 3, on the ju ...
File:Flag of Rio Negro Department.png, Río Negro
File:Flag of Rivera Department.png, Rivera
Rivera () is the capital of Rivera Department of Uruguay. The border with Brazil joins it with the Brazilian city of Santana do Livramento, which is only a street away from it, at the north end of Route 5. Together, they form an urban area of aro ...
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
Treinta y Tres () is the capital city of the Treinta y Tres Department in eastern Uruguay.
Location
The city is located on Route 8 (Uruguay), Route 8, on the north banks of Olimar Grande River. The city is almost surrounded by a populated rural ...
See also
*
Coat of arms of Uruguay
The coat of arms of Uruguay or Uruguayan shield (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Escudo de Armas del Estado'') was first adopted by law on March 19, 1829, and later on had some minor modification in 1906 and 1908. It was supposedly designed by Juan ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uruguay, Flag Of
National flags
National symbols of Uruguay
1830 establishments in Uruguay