The Republic of Colombia

The National Flag of Colombia

Initially, a large part of South America gained independence from Spain as Gran Colombia in 1819, and remained as a state until 1831. This republic had a horizontal tricolour using yellow, sky blue, and red.

However, in 1831, with the secession of Venezuela and Ecuador, a new Republic was born. The Republic of New Granada. Ditching the old flag, and opting for a vertical tricolour, using red, yellow and blue.

In 1858, The Republic of New Grenada became the Grenadine Federation with a constitutional change between the constituent nations of Colombia and Panama. The next flag saw the national coat of arms being placed on the central blue stripe.

In 1861, the Grenadine Federation went through a new constitutional change, with each individual state gaining some degree of self-control within a new United States of New Grenada. The new nation saw 6 white, 5 pointed stars being placed in the central blue stripe.

Finally, in 1861, the constitutional reform was finished with the creation of the United States of Colombia. With a constitutional change, means another flag. This time, a horizontal tricolour. The top half being a solid yellow bar, and the bottom half being 2, 1 blue, and 1 red. At the centre of the flag is a blue oval edged in red with 9, 8 point stars. The 9 stars standing for the 9 states within the union.

Finally, after civil war and politic in-fighting, the United State of Colombia came to an end, and the Republic of Colombia was born. And again, a new flag. This time, the 9 stars where simply removed from the flag. The succession of Panama in 1903 did not result in any more changes!

The flag of Colombia was created originally by Francisco de Miranda. His colours went on to inspire the flags of Venezuela, and Ecuador. Francisco de Miranda gives 2 sources as inspiration for his choice of colours for the flag. The first was in conversation with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a German writer and philosopher. He explained you needed to create a land, with primary colours that cannot be distorted.

To explain, yellow is a warm colour, and closest to white. Blue is a colour of serenity and distance, with red being a synthesis of the two.

Another possible source of inspiration was the yellow, blue, and red banner of the Burger Guard of Hamburg that he saw whilst travelling in Europe.

Colombia itself opted to describe the colours as yellow for the gold in Colombian land, blue for the seas, and red for the blood spilt by Colombians in the search of Colombia's freedom.