Flag of Ecuador History

1800 – 1822

Following Sebastián de Benalcázar’s conquering of Ecuador, the Spanish Empire’s flags flew over the just-founded city of Quito. The initial demands for freedom from the Spanish throne were made on August 10, 1809, and a plain crimson flag was flown by the rebels. In November 1812, the independence revolt was put down by Spanish general Juan Sámano. A new flag, a blue and white bicolor with five alternately spaced horizontal stripes and three white stars in the center, was flown for the first time on October 9, 1820. Later, the Guayas Province used this flag. In 1822 when it joined that nation, Ecuador adopted Gran Colombia’s new flag. It had three bands of yellow, light blue, and red with a coat of arms in the middle.

1830 – 1900

Prior to adopting the tricolor of yellow, blue, and red, each of Ecuador’s provinces flew a white and blue flag with a star to signify their respective nation. To represent the number of provinces in Ecuador, white stars were positioned in the center of the blue stripe. This flag had a maximum of seven stars before it was taken down. The coat of arms was changed in 1830 when Ecuador separated from Gran Colombia. In 1835, a Fifth National Flag was established that did away with the coat of arms and altered the shade of blue. The light blue blue and white pattern, with three vertical stripes and three white stars in the middle of the light blue stripe, was brought back during the March Revolution of 1845. This is where the current Ecuadorian flag came from and why it resembles the flags of Colombia and Venezuela so much. Later in the year, there were four more stars added, and the blue hue became a little bit darker. Up until the adoption of the new flag in 1900, this design was used. The yellow, blue, and red triband was reinstated two days after the Battle of Guayaquil in 1860 when Gabriel Garcia Moreno took office. Da de la Bandera, also known as “National Flag Day” in English, is observed on September 26 in honor of the day it was restored. The current flag’s design was finished in 1900 when the coat of arms was officially placed in its center. This version is flown by the government.

Flag of Ecuador Meaning

Design

The national flag is 2.20 meters in length and 1.47 meters in width, or 2 to 3. The field is divided by three red, blue, and yellow horizontal colored bands, each of which is one-quarter the breadth of the flag. The flag’s three bands go the full length of it. The Ecuadorian coat of arms is displayed in the center of the flag, downsized to half its width. The genuine coat of arms is a 12:10-inch-long rectangle. A different form of the flag, one without a coat of arms, is flown by the merchant marine.

Colors

Red, blue, and a golden yellow shade make up the Ecuadorian flag. The red and blue colors are aligned horizontally at the bottom of the flag, with golden yellow covering the top half of the flag.

Flag of Ecuador Symbolism

Each of the stripes represents something different: the yellow stripe stands for Ecuador’s fertile land and the gold deposits that can be found there; the blue stripe for the nation’s resources on the coast and in the ocean; and the red stripe for the men who gave their lives fighting for Ecuador’s independence. These three colors also stand for close neighbors: Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador. All three of these nations fly flags inspired by Great Colombia in terms of both design and color. Actually, General Francisco de Miranda of Venezuela provided the inspiration for all three flags. Later, Gran Colombia amended this notion, and in 1811, Venezuela approved of it. The national bird of Ecuador, the condor, is depicted on top of a shield in the design of the country’s coat of arms. Due to its size and renown in Latin American folklore, the condor serves as a symbol of defense against outside aggression. The shield features a picture of Mount Chimborazo, the tallest mountain in Ecuador, with snow-capped peaks in the center. There is also a steamer that represents the first steamboat to sail along the Guayas River in Ecuador. The version with the coat of arms is flown by the government and is a symbol of power and bravery.

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