Last time, we took you through the interesting history behind the colourful flag of the Bahamas. We’re back with another story about the colourful flag of Venezuela, and why it features yellow, red and blue! Read on to find out…
Venezuela is a federal republic on the northern coast of South America. The current flag of Venezuela was officially adopted on the 20th of April, 1836. It was modelled after the one used by Francisco de Miranda, the liberation leader. The design was also the inspiration for the flags of Colombia and Ecuador.
The Venezuelan flag was earlier based on one flown by independence fighters who fought against the Spanish colonial rule. During that time, the yellow stood for the gold of the Americas, blue represented the Atlantic Ocean which separated the new Americas from the old world of Europe and Spain, which is signified by red.
Today, the colours of the flag are based on the primary colour theory. Yellow stands for the riches of the land. It represents the gold reservoirs of Venezuela and they are in huge quantity. It also stands for the wealth of Venezuelan soil, gold, sovereignty, harmony, justice and agriculture, as well as the Sun, which is the source of all light. Blue colour represents the colour of the ocean and seas of Venezuela. It also represents the sky above the nation. According to another source, the blue shade stands for courage, the red symbolises the bloodshed in Venezuela and the centred eight stars represents the eight provinces in Venezuela that came together in the war of independence.
The coat of arms is placed on the upper left. The coat of arms used on the flag of government and military authorities comprises a wheat sheaf, a white horse, panoply of tools, weapons, and flags; two cornucopias; and branches of laurel and palm tied with a ribbon.
Initially, there were seven stars featured on the flag. An eighth star was later added for the province of Angostura, which is modern-day Guyana. It was removed in 1905 and Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías, the Venezuelan politician and revolutionary proposed adding the eighth star back to the flag in 2011.
We hope you got a glimpse into the interesting history of Venezuela through its flag!
