Venezuela flag
One of the most important state symbols of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is its flag, approved in 2006.
Description and proportions of the flag of Venezuela
The Venezuelan flag is rectangular in shape. Its width refers to the length in a ratio of 2: 3, and the color scheme is traditional for many modern states of Latin America. The flag is a horizontal tricolor, the stripes of which are equal in width. The lowest stripe is bright red, the middle one is dark blue, and the top one is deep yellow. In the center of the blue stripe are eight white stars arranged in a semicircle. In the upper part of the flag, on a yellow field at the flagpole, the coat of arms of Venezuela is applied.
History of the flag of Venezuela
The country was colonially dependent on Spain for more than three centuries. The liberation movement first arose at the end of the 18th century, and even then the supporters of independence appeared under the flag, the colors of which symbolized the unity of people of different races in the struggle for sovereignty.
In 1806, the leader of the liberation movement of the South American continent, Francisco Miranda, created a flag, three stripes of which - red, blue and yellow - symbolized the bloody regime of the Spanish colonialists, the Atlantic Ocean, which ran between Spain and America, and gold and other riches of his native land. Raised above the ship «Leander», traveling to the continent from the States, the tricolor symbolized the patriots' dream of a free, rich continent, separated from the bloody conquerors by the ocean.
The flag also flew over the army of Simon Bolivar, which managed to free Venezuela from its oppressors at the beginning of the 19th century. The country gained its long-awaited independence. It was then that white stars appeared on the flag. Initially, there were seven of them according to the number of historical provinces of Venezuela. The stars lit up in honor of Margarita, Cuman, Caracas, Barcelona, Merida, Barinas and Trujillo and were arranged in a circle with one in the center.
In 2006, President Hugo Chávez proposed placing the eighth star on the Venezuelan flag, thus celebrating the merits of Simon Bolivar in the liberation of the country from the Spanish colonialists. Today it is called the Star of Bolivar and adorns the Venezuelan flag along with the rest. The eighth star also carries a different semantic load: it recalls the territory contested by the state of Guyana.
