The horizontal stripes of yellow, blue and red tricolor have a ratio of 2:1:1. It—together with that of Ecuador, also derived from the flag of Gran Colombia—is different from most other tricolor flags, either vertical or horizontal, in having stripes which are not equal in size.. The official colors have not yet been established by law. However, it is recommended to use the following:
Colours scheme
Yellow
Blue
Red
Pantone
116
287
186
RGB
252-209-22
0-56-147
206-17-38
CMYK
C0-M17.1-Y91.3-K0
C100-M61.9-Y0-K42.4
C0-M91.7-Y81.6-K19.2
According to the current interpretation, the colors signify:
Although, the flag has other representatives such as blue for loyalty and vigilance, red for victory of battles for Colombian independence, and finally yellow for sovereignty and justice.
History
Francisco de Miranda originally created the common yellow, blue and red flag of Gran Colombia that Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela, with slight variations, share today. Miranda gave at least two sources of inspiration for his flag. In a letter written to Count Simon Romanovich Woronzoff and philosopher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Miranda described a late-night conversation he had had with Goethe at a party in Weimar during the winter of 1785. Fascinated by Miranda's account of his exploits in the United States Revolutionary War and his travels throughout the Americas and Europe, Goethe told him that, "Your destiny is to create in your land a place where primary colors are not distorted.” He proceeded to clarify what he meant: After Miranda designed his flag based on this conversation, he recalled seeing a fresco by Lazzaro Tavarone in the Palazzo Belimbau in Genoa that depicted Christopher Columbus unfurling a similar-colored flag in Veragua during his fourth voyage. In his military diary, Miranda gave another possible source of inspiration: the yellow, blue and red standard of the Burger Guard of Hamburg, which he also saw during his travels in Germany. In the 1801 plan for an army to liberate Spanish America, which he submitted unsuccessfully to the British cabinet, Miranda requested the materials for "ten flags, whose colors shall be red, yellow and blue, in three zones." However, the first flag was not raised until March 12, 1806, in Jacmel, Haiti, during his ill-fated expedition to Venezuela.
Past flags
Gallery of flags
National flag Historical flags Military and civil flags Historical military and civil flags Construction sheets
