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The flag of Ecuador, which consists of horizontal bands of yellow (double width), blue and red, was adopted on September 26, 1860. It is very similar to that of Colombia and Venezuela, which are also former members of Greater Colombia. It is based on a proposal by Francisco de Miranda.

Contents 1 Civil, state, war and municipal flags 2 History 3 Symbolism 4 Resemblance to other flags 5 External links

The law of 5 December 1900 (Registro Oficial No.1272) specifies that Ecuador's civil flag and ensign are different from its state flag and ensign in that the state flags are charged with Ecuador's coat of arms whereas the civil flags are not. However, in practice the state flag is often used as a civil flag, especially where this is necessary to distinguish it from the otherwise identical flag of Colombia.

The naval ensign and war flag have 2:3 proportions but are otherwise the same as the state ensign.

A special flag is reserved for municipal buildings: this is the civil flag with a ring of 19 white stars (one for each of the provinces, although these now number 22) on the blue stripe.

Eight periods may be identified in the history of Ecuador's flag:

1810-12 The leaders of a rebellion against the Spanish authorities raised a red flag with white mast. This uprising, based in Quito, was defeated in 1812.

1820-22 A flag with five horizontal stripes and three stars in the middle stripe, now the flag of the province of Guayas, was raised by the patriots in the 9th October 1820 liberation.

Flag of the October 1820 uprising, now the flag of Guayas

1822 The previous flag was changed by decree of the 2nd June 1822: "The flag of the free province of Guayaquil shall be white and its first quarter blue with a centered star".

1822-45 Ecuador was subsumed into Greater Colombia, during which time the Colombian [horizontal] tricolour became definitive. Although Ecuador succeeded from that union in 830, the flag was retained.

1845 During the 1845 Marcist Revolution the pale blue and white colours return, but as a vertical tricolour of white, blue, white, with three white stars in the central stripe.

1845-60 The Cuenca Convention ratified, by decree of 6 November 1845, a change to a deeper blue, and the increase in the number of stars to seven "as symbols of the seven provinces which make up the Republic".

1860-1900 Gabriel García Moreno, on assuming power, declared "The bicolour has been shamed out of treason and bears a washproof stain. Let the old Equatorian flag, sealed with heroes' blood, be forever consecrated as the people's ensign and the pride of our national glories". Thus the yellow, blue and red triband was returned to use.

1900-present The flag re-introduced by Moreno became definitive in 1900, and the coat of arms is added for official state use.

de Miranda described a letter he had received from Goethe on the theory of primary colours, explaining "First he explained to me the way the iris transforms the light into the three primary colours... then he said why Yellow is the most warm, noble and closest to the bright light; why Blue is that mix of excitement and serenity, so far that it evokes the shadows; and why Red is the exaltation of Yellow and Blue, the synthesis, the vanishing of the bright light into the shadows".

The patriotic symbolism ascribed to the colours is:
Yellow - wealth of agricultural and other resources in the country;
Blue - the ocean and the clear skies;
Red - the blood of those who died in gaining the country's freedom.

The significance of the elements of the coat of arms are described thus:
Condor - power and courage
Landscape - Chimborazo and Guayas River
Boat - Peace and trade
Golden Sun - pre-Colombian traditions
Zodiac signs - The Marcist revolution
Palm and Laurel leaves - Peace and dignity.

Ecuador's flag bears a strong resemblance to the flag of Colombia and the flag of Venezuela, because all three are derived from the flag of Gran Colombia. Internationally, the flag is flown with the nation's seal in the center. This is to distinguish it from the flag of Colombia without which it could easily be confused (the only difference between the civil flags of Ecuador and Colombia resides in their proportions).

• Ecuador at Flags of the World
• Patriotic Symbols of Ecuador (in Spanish)

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Flags of formerly independent states