The

flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the coun ...

was first adopted on September 4, 1908, but not made official until August 27, 1971. It is based on, and inspired by, the flag of the

Federal Republic of Central America The Federal Republic of Central America ( es, República Federal de Centroamérica), originally named the United Provinces of Central America ( es, Provincias Unidas del Centro de América), and sometimes simply called Central America, in it ...

and flag of

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...

. It is one of only three national flags (the others being

El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south ...

and

Dominica Dominica ( or ; Kalinago: ; french: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is geographical ...

) that currently use

purple Purple is any of a variety of colors with hue between red and blue. In the RGB color model used in computer and television screens, purples are produced by mixing red and blue light. In the RYB color model historically used by painters ...

Overview

The two Azure bands on the flag and the arms of Nicaragua in use today is derived from that of the

United Provinces of Central America The Federal Republic of Central America ( es, República Federal de Centroamérica), originally named the United Provinces of Central America ( es, Provincias Unidas del Centro de América), and sometimes simply called Central America, in it ...

. The triangle, volcanoes, rising sun, Cap of Liberty, and rainbow all appeared on the original emblem. The coat of arms used today contains the name of the state, Republica de Nicaragua, whereas in 1823 the title was Provincias Unidas del Centro de America. The decision to revert to the emblems used by the United Provinces of Central America was taken in 1908 and reflected Nicaragua's aspirations for the rebirth of the political entity formed by the 5 nations. Except for the text around the arms, the flag is very similar to that of the United Provinces of Central America. The 5 volcanoes represent the original 5 member states, the Cap of Liberty represents national freedom, and the rays of the sun and the rainbow are symbolic of the bright future to come. The presence of a rainbow in the coat of arms makes the flag of Nicaragua one of only two flags of a sovereign state to include the color

, alongside the

flag of Dominica The flag of Dominica was adopted on 3 November 1978, with some small changes having been made in 1981, 1988, and 1990. The original flag was designed by playwright Alwin Bully in early 1978 as the country prepared for independence. It is one o ...

Historical flags

File:Flag of the United Provinces of Central America.svg,

(1823–1824) File:Flag of the Federal Republic of Central America.svg,

(1824–1838) File:Flag of Nicaragua (1858-1889 and 1893-1896).svg, (1838–1854) File:Flag of Nicaragua (1839-1858).svg, (1854–1858) File:State Flag of Nicaragua (1854-1858).png, State flag
(1854–1858) File:Civil Ensign of Nicaragua (1854-1858).svg, Merchant Navy flag
(1854–1858) File:Flag of Nicaragua under William Walker (1856-1857).svg, William Walker's flag
(1856–1857) File:Flag of Nicaragua (1858-1889 and 1893-1896).svg, (1858–1896) File:Flag of Nicaragua (1896-1908).svg, (1896–1908) File:Flag of the Greater Republic of Central America (1898).svg,

Greater Republic of Central America The Greater Republic of Central America (Spanish: ''República Mayor de Centroamérica''), later the United States of Central America (Spanish: ''Estados Unidos de Centroamérica''), originally planned to be known as the Republic of Central Ame ...

(November 1898) File:Flag of Nicaragua (1908-1971).svg, (1908–1971)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nicaragua, Flag of Flags introduced in 1908 Flags introduced in 1971 National flags National symbols of Nicaragua

Overview

Historical flags

See also

References

External links