The flag of the Organization of American States is one of the official symbols of the

Organization of American States The Organization of American States (OAS; es, Organización de los Estados Americanos, pt, Organização dos Estados Americanos, french: Organisation des États américains; ''OEA'') is an international organization that was founded on 30 Apri ...

(OAS); it consists of the OAS' emblem defacing a light blue field.

History

It was adopted in 1965 and has been amended several times as new members have joined the OAS. The flag of the Organization of American States was used for the first time during the administration of Secretary General

José Antonio Mora José Antonio Mora Otero (22 November 1897 – 26 January 1975) was a Uruguayan lawyer and diplomat. Antonio Mora served as the secretary general of the Organization of American States between 16 January 1956 and 18 May 1968. Before retiring ...

. The flag consists of the seal of the Organization, which represents the flags of all the Member States, on a royal blue background. This stamp with the flags is seen for the first time on memorandum paper in the twenties, during the General Direction of Mr. Leo S. Rowe. The flag was ordered to the company Annin & Co., of New York, in April 1961. The color of the fund that was chosen was real blue that was neither light blue, nor dark blue. In the center are the flags of all the member countries placed in a circular shape, with ten masts at the bottom and framed by a circle. The design was updated for the last time in 1991 when Belize and Guyana joined the Organization of American States. Each time a new member state enters, its flag is incorporated into the design. The use of the flag has been established in accordance with the traditions and customs in exercise throughout the years in the Organization.

Vexillological description

The design consists of a rectangle of blue background with a white circle, bordered in gold, in its center. On the inside of this circle is the organization shell consisting of a grouping of flags of all member states, which are currently 35, hoisted on golden masts. The order of the flags is given in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

alphabetical order, starting with

Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda (, ) is a sovereign country in the West Indies. It lies at the juncture of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in the Leeward Islands part of the Lesser Antilles, at 17°N latitude. The country consists of two majo ...

in the lower left, following clockwise until

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

in the lower right.

References

{{Flags of International Organization

Organization of American States