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The flag of Brazil has a green field on which is centered a large yellow rhombus. Within the rhombus is a blue circle, with white stars of five different sizes and a curved white band running through it. The motto Ordem e Progresso ("Order and Progress") is inscribed in capital letters (of the same shade of green as the field) inside the band.
This flag is sometimes called Auriverde which means "(of) gold and green".
The modern flag was officially adopted on November 19, 1889. The concept was the work of Raimundo Teixeira Mendes, with the collaboration of Miguel Lemos and Manuel Pereira Reis. The design was executed by Décio Vilares.
The current national flag and ensign maintains the same design with some minor changes. This 27-star version was adopted on May 12, 1992 (Law 8.421, May 11, 1992).
History
Upon the proclamation of the First Republic, one of the leading figures in the process, lawyer and recently-appointed Minister of Justice Ruy Barbosa, a fierce admirer of the republican model created in the United States, proposed a design for the national flag that was strongly inspired in the flag of that country. This flag was used only for 5 days beginning November 15, 1889.
On November 19, 1889 the "father of the Republic" and acting president, field marshal Deodoro da Fonseca, vetoed the design, claiming that it was too much of a copy of another country's flag. Fonseca, who had been a royalist all his life and only led the coup that led to the proclamation of the Republic because he felt that the Emperor's actions were putting the country's stability in jeopardy, then suggested that the new Republican Flag should resemble the Imperial Flag, replacing only the royal crest with a new design (eventually decided to be the blue globe with the stars and the positivist motto). Barbosa's design, however, was the basis for the state flag of Goiás.
Symbology
It is often said that Brazil's national colors, green and yellow, represent the country's natural richness. Green represents the exuberant forests of the Amazon Rainforest, the Atlantic Jungle, and the Pantanal, while the yellow rhombus represents the country's gold reserves: Brazil once had the largest gold mines in the world and between 1500 to 1900, more gold was extracted from Brazilian territory than had previously existed in the whole world. Brazil's current flag was inspired by the flag of the former Brazilian Empire:
On the imperial flag, the green represented the Imperial House of Bragança of Pedro I, the first Emperor of Brazil, and the yellow represents the Habsburg Imperial Family of Leopoldina, Pedro's wife. The centre of the old imperial flag bore the Imperial Coat of Arms.
On the modern republican flag, the coat of arms has been replaced by the blue circle, which depicts the sky over Rio de Janeiro on the morning of November 15, 1889 –, the day the Republic of Brazil was declared. It is shown as seen from outside of the celestial sphere (i.e. the view is mirrored).
Years after the proclamation of the Republic, as the country had consolidated into a federation of States modeled after the United States' example, it was decided that the stars in the National Flag should, as it is with the U.S. flag, reflect the union's member-states. Many stars were dropped from the design, although those which stayed retained their position, depicting their place in the Rio de Janeiro sky on the night of November 15, 1889. Nowadays, each of the 27 stars represents a different state and the Federal District (the last star also stands for the Brazilian territories). The number of stars changes with the creation of new states and, since the founding of the republic, has risen from an original 21 stars.
The star that represents the Federal District is Sigma Octantis, a star whose position near the south celestial pole makes it visible across almost the whole country, all year round. In addition, given its polar position, all the other stars depicted on the flag trace appear to rotate around Sigma Octantis. Choosing this star to represent Brazil's capital is therefore particularly apt (although it is a much fainter star than any of the others).
The motto Ordem e Progresso ("Order and Progress") is inspired by Auguste Comte's motto of positivism: "L'amour pour principe et l'ordre pour base; le progrès pour but" ("Love as a principle and order as the basis; progress as the goal").
The Stars
The constellation of the Southern Cross is on the meridian (indicated by the number 6 in the diagram). To the south of it is Polaris Australis (Sigma Octantis, numbered 7), representing the Federal District. The Star of Pará stays on top.
A list of constellations and stars on the map:
- Procyon (α Canis Minoris),
- Canis Major, with the largest star depicting Sirius,
- Canopus (α Carinae),
- Spica (α Virginis)
- Hydra
- Crux
- Sigma Octantis (σ Octantis; south pole star)
- Triangulum Australe
- Scorpius, with the largest star depicting Antares
The stars representing the Brazilian states (except Sigma Octantis which represents the capital or Federal District):
| State | Star | Constellation | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazonas | Alpha Canis Minoris (Procyon) | Canis Minor, the Little Dog | 1 |
| Mato Grosso | Alpha Canis Majoris (Sirius) | Canis Major, the Great Dog | 1 |
| Amapá | Beta Canis Majoris (Mirzam) | Canis Major, the Great Dog | 3 |
| Rondônia | Gamma Canis Majoris (Muliphen) | Canis Major, the Great Dog | |
| Roraima | Delta Canis Majoris (Wezen) | Canis Major, the Great Dog | 2 |
| Tocantins | Epsilon Canis Majoris (Adhara) | Canis Major, the Great Dog | 2 |
| Pará | Alpha Virginis (Spica) | Virgo, the Virgin | 1 |
| Piauí | Alpha Scorpii (Antares) | Scorpius, the Scorpion | 1 |
| Maranhão | Beta Scorpii (Graffias) | Scorpius, the Scorpion | 3 |
| Ceará | Epsilon Scorpii | Scorpius, the Scorpion | 2 |
| Alagoas | Theta Scorpii (Sargas) | Scorpius, the Scorpion | 2 |
| Sergipe | Iota Scorpii | Scorpius, the Scorpion | 3 |
| Paraíba | Kappa Scorpii | Scorpius, the Scorpion | 3 |
| Rio Grande do Norte | Lambda Scorpii (Shaula) | Scorpius, the Scorpion | 2 |
| Pernambuco | Mu Scorpii | Scorpius, the Scorpion | 3 |
| Mato Grosso do Sul | Alpha Hydrae (Alphard) | Hydra, the Water Serpent | 2 |
| Acre | Gamma Hydrae | Hydra, the Water Serpent | 3 |
| São Paulo | Alpha Crucis (Acrux) | Crux, the Southern Cross | 1 |
| Rio de Janeiro | Beta Crucis (Becrux) | Crux, the Southern Cross | 2 |
| Bahia | Gamma Crucis (Gacrux) | Crux, the Southern Cross | 2 |
| Minas Gerais | Delta Crucis | Crux, the Southern Cross | 3 |
| Espírito Santo | Epsilon Crucis | Crux, the Southern Cross | 4 |
| Rio Grande do Sul | Alpha Trianguli Australe | Triangulum Australe, the Southern Triangle | 2 |
| Santa Catarina | Beta Trianguli Australe | Triangulum Australe, the Southern Triangle | 3 |
| Paraná | Gamma Trianguli Australe | Triangulum Australe, the Southern Triangle | 3 |
| Goiás | Alpha Carinae (Canopus) | Carina, the Keel of Argo | |
| Brasília, DF (Federal District) | Sigma Octantis (Polaris Australis) | Octans, the Octant | 5 |
Other Brazilian Flags
The list below identifies other flags also used in Brazil prior to the foundation of the Republic:
See also
External links
Brazilian culture | National flags
Brazilská vlajka | Brasiliens flag | Flagge Brasiliens | Brasiilia lipp | Bandera de Brasil | Flago de Brazilo | Drapeau du Brésil | Bandiera brasiliana | דגל ברזיל | Vlag van Brazilië | ブラジルの国旗 | Brasils flagg | Flaga Brazylii | Bandeira do Brasil | Steagul Braziliei | Флаг Бразилии | Brasiliens flagga | 巴西国旗
"Flag of Brazil"