Flag of Venezuela

The flag of Venezuela dates from 1811, the beginning of that nation's struggle for independence. The basic design includes a horizontal tricolor of yellow, blue, and red. Further modifications have involved a set of stars at the center, and a coat of arms at the upper-left corner.

Original flag

The flag is the one primarily adopted by the National Congress of 1811, consisting of three equal horizontal stripes. This original design was by Francisco de Miranda, who on 12 March 1806 hoisted a flag with three stripes, yellow, blue, and red, on his ship headed to Coro, Venezuela on his second attempt to initiate a revolutionary movement of independence. The yellow band stands for the wealth of the land, the blue for the waters separating Venezuela from Spain, and the red for the blood spilled by patriots during the independence struggle. Flag Day is celebrated in Venezuela on 12 March in honor of Miranda.

This format has remained largely unchanged since 1811, but underwent several modifications in the 19th and early 20th centuries around the stars and the coat of arms.

19th-century changes

During the first half of the 19th century, seven stars were added to the flag to represent the seven colonial provinces of Barcelona, Barinas, Caracas, Cumaná, Margarita, Mérida, and Trujillo, which had united against Spain during Venezuelan independence.

Origin of the flag with 8 stars

Flag of Angostura (November 20th, 1817):

After the Guayana battles, Simon Bolivar added the 8th star to the national flag in representation of the new freed province. Simon Bolivar declared the following decree: Simon Bolivar. Supreme Leader of the Republic and Captain-in-chief of the Venezuelan army and Nueva Granada. Since the number of provinces that compose the Republic of Venezuela have increased with the addition of Guayana by decree on October 15th, I declare in decree: Only article.- We shall add to the seven stars on that the Venezuelan national flag has one more star as a symbol of the province of Guayana, in this way, from now on there will be eight stars on the flag. Signed by me, and stamped with the country's official stamp in the government palace in the city of Angostura, November 20th 1817. Simon Bolivar. ^*

1954 changes

The Law of the National Flag, Coat of Arms and Anthem added the Coat of Arms to the flag on 17 February 1954. The coat of arms was not incorporated into the Civil or Maritime Flag, which is intended for non-governmental purposes, such as civilian use, merchant craft, and international sports competition.

2006 changes

On 12 March 2006, the flag was changed once again to the one depicted in the top image. The main changes are the addition of an eighth star, which President Hugo Chávez has called the "Bolivar Star" in honor of Simón Bolívar who had himself proposed the eighth star in 1817. This eighth star recognizes the contributions of the 19th century colonial province of Guayana (now one of the administrative regions of Venezuela), which joined in the fight for independence shortly after the original seven.

The Coat of Arms of Venezuela has also been modified. At the suggestion of Chavez's daughter, the direction the horse is running in has been reversed: formerly running to the viewer's right but twisting its head to the viewer's left, it now runs and faces toward the viewer's left; in heraldry, however, this is dexter, the shield-bearer's right, and is the usual direction of motion.

Although the new flag was approved by the Venezuelan government it has caused significant controversy, and at the time of its official unveiling, opposition spokesperson Oscar Perez stated that his party would not use the new flag.

The opposition has complained about the significant cost involved in modifying not only all flags but all documents bearing the flag or coat of arms by the year 2011 as proposed by the government. However, the government says the 2011 proposal allows ample time for phasing in of the new flag as citizens, businesses, and other organizations are able to switch.

The changed direction of the horse on the coat of arms also caused a stir among the opposition, commentators, and comedians who have remarked that the horse's apparent "running to the left" is a not so subtle reflection of Chávez' leftward-running politics. Chávez says the latter represents the horse now being freed; he has made no reference to the attributed economic symbolism.

External links

Venezuela on Flags of the World
Ley de Bandera, Escudo, e Himno Nacionales - Law of the National Flag, Coat of Arms and Anthem.
BBC Report on change of flag

Venezuelan culture | National flags | Flags of Venezuela