The topic of this article is the flag of Colombia. A photo of him shows us national colors, but can neither convey the interesting history of this tricolor, nor reveal its symbolism. Therefore, you have to turn to words. We will also talk about the national emblem of Colombia here. In addition to national symbols, many countries have their own heraldic animal, tree or flower. This Latin American country is no exception. We will also touch on the history of the Colombian city with the interesting name of Armenia.
A Brief History of Colombia
The path that the country has traveled from the Spanish colony to an independent republic is quite long. In short, the history of this country is as follows. Only the third time, having sent an army of conquistadors, Spain was able to conquer these lands. They called a huge colony, which included the territory of not only modern Colombia, but also Venezuela, Panama and Ecuador, New Grenada. The struggle for independence never subsided, but in 1809 it received unexpected support from Napoleon Bonaparte's troops. July 20, 1810 the former colony proclaimed self-government. All the attempts of Spain to return the rebellious lands were unsuccessful. In 1819, a new independent country, Great Colombia, was proclaimed. It received its name in honor of the great discoverer of America. The flag of Colombia at that time was represented by three horizontal stripes of yellow, blue and red colors.
Little successor
A large country called Great Colombia did not last long, only eleven years. Already in 1830, Venezuela and Ecuador separated from it, and in the early twentieth century, Panama did the same. However, Colombia reserved the name of the once vast state. Nobody called her the Great already. By the way, the Colombian flag has undergone only minor changes. But the state banners of Ecuador and Venezuela have changed, although they carry in themselves the three basic colors of the once great power (red, yellow and blue). Many countries that have tricolors in their national symbols have stripes of the same size. Venezuela went along the same path, aligning the ribbons of its state symbol.
What does the flag of Colombia look like now?
After a series of civil wars, coups, the renaming of the state to the United States of Colombia, in 1886 the Republicans came to power, who adopted the Constitution. The current flag of Colombia was approved several decades earlier - November 26, 1861. It looks like a cloth, divided by three horizontal stripes. Top, yellow, twice as wide as the rest. It occupies, accordingly, the entire half of the banner. Under it is the blue (central) and red (lower) stripes. There are several interpretations of these colors. The most common is: yellow (gold) is the country's wealth, blue is the sea (Colombia is washed by the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans), and red is the blood shed by the people for independence and freedom. The proportions of the banner are traditional - two to three.
Other national symbols
The text of the national anthem was written by Rafael Nunez, and the music by Oreste Sindichi. It was approved by the government in 1920. The coat of arms, adopted in 1834, is a shield divided into three parts. At the bottom are two ships. The middle part is a Phrygian cap (a symbol of republican governance) and two cornucopia, with coins and fruits. The top of the coat of arms is a condor - a bird that lives in the Andes. He holds an olive branch in his beak. Along with the anthem of the Republic of Colombia, the flag and coat of arms are its national symbols and require respect. However, there is a national flower of the country. This is the Cattleya Trianae orchid, an endemic that is not found anywhere else in the wild, except in Colombia. National animal - condor. Although this bird and scavenger, it is admired for its size and strength. There is a national tree in Colombia. This is a wax palm. A graceful tree reaches a height of 70 meters and is distinguished by longevity.
Coffee capital
But did you know that the flag of Colombia and Armenia can look almost the same? The thing is how to turn it over. The Armenian flag has a color scheme "vice versa": red on top, blue in the middle and yellow at the bottom. But in the case when the last geographical name refers not to the Caucasian country, but to the city, the flag looks different. This name appeared on the map of Colombia in 1889. The city got its name from a vast estate founded by Armenian settlers. For a while he bore a different name. But after the genocide of 1915, when about a million Armenians were killed in Turkey, the settlement was returned to its original name. Now it is the capital of the Kindio department. It is famous for its coffee plantations. His flag is also a tricolor, only the colors there are different than the country’s - green, white, yellow.