The flag of Venezuela is a yellow, blue and red tricolor with an arc of eight white stars. Its shape has been settled since the independence era, but the stars have been counted and recounted for two centuries.
Two centuries of revisions
The flag comes out of the Venezuelan War of Independence and was first adopted on July 5, 1811. Francisco de Miranda supplied the model: the horizontal tricolor he flew in 1806.
In 1819, with the formation of the Republic of Colombia, later Gran Colombia, elements were added. By 1836 Venezuela had left that union and returned to the tricolor, revised to reflect its own sovereignty. The arc of stars arrived in 1863. In 1905 the count settled at seven, for the provinces that had supported independence.
Further revisions followed in 1930 and 1954, which produced the design the country kept for most of the 20th century. The most recent change came in 2006, when an eighth star was added for Guayana Province, following a decree by President Hugo Chávez. Simón Bolívar shaped much of what came before.
Design and symbolism
Three horizontal stripes run yellow, blue and red. Yellow is the wealth and resources of the country and the land itself. Blue is the Caribbean Sea, the water between Venezuela and Spain. Red is the courage and the blood of the independence struggle.
An arc of eight stars crosses the blue band. They are the eight provinces involved in the first fight for independence, a count first ordered in 1817 and only completed in 2006.
The state version of the flag adds the national coat of arms to the upper hoist corner, an element added in the 2006 revision. The arms include a white horse for freedom, crossed arms for military strength and an olive branch for peace.
Usage and protocol
Display is governed by Venezuelan law. Government institutions, schools and public buildings are required to fly the flag, and there are set days for it, including Independence Day on July 5.
Two versions are in use: the state flag with the coat of arms, and the civil flag without it. The flag is meant to be hoisted briskly and lowered ceremonially, and improper use carries penalties.
Similar flags
Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador all use variations on the same yellow, blue and red tricolor, a shared inheritance from Gran Colombia and, behind that, from Miranda's 1806 design.
The flag in public life
The flag appears throughout Venezuelan literature, art and popular culture, and it is carried at protests and civil movements as a statement of political demands as much as of national pride.
References
[1] Venezuelan Government Official Website - www.gobiernoenlinea.ve