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![[Flag of Colombia]](../images/c/co.gif)
(2:3) 
image by Željko Heimer, 20 May 2001
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In Colombia, people (private citizens) are supossed to fly or
show (i.e. from the window) the national flag on national
holidays, so it is safe to suppose that a lot of private citizens
own flags. Recently, several campaigns had tried to promote
the use of the flag anytime, so you can actually walk down a
residential street and see flags flying from the doorposts.
The flag is supposed to be the national flag: The Y-B-R
horizontal tricolor with yellow 1/2 in height, without any
defacements and any length (customary it should be 2:3 but there
is nothing in the law spacifying the lenght of the national
tricolor; the law is clear on the civil ensign). However,
flying the state flag by private citizens is not uncummon (the
state flag is the one with the Coat of Arms
on a white circle, bordered in red, when is not the presidential
flag or it stands for a military unit, the inscription on the red
border is usually "REPUBLICA / DE COLOMBIA").
The law says that only the president and the military units may
fly flags with CoA, but as far as I know, nobody is enforcing the
law preventing private citizens to use such flags. I even
dare to say that most small flags, those designed to
"fly" on a pole standing over a table in, say, a school
classroom, have the Coat of Arms on it.
And, of course, everytime the national soccer team plays, and
mainly when it wins (and some time for other sport events) you
will see the Colombian flag everywhere. Including those
colombian flags with the name of the country in white over the
blue stripe, or defaced with the logo of the Colombian Football
Federation, or even defaced with the logo of certain beer brand.
Carlos Thompson, 24 March 2003
After observation I am sure that the only flag that flies on
land (on poles or on buildings) in Colombia is the plain Y-B-R
2:1:1 horizontal tricolor. Flags with the Coat of Arms (on
a white circle, fringed red, with a legend on the border) are
reserved for indoor use (and usually fringed), and almost all
indoor flags do use the Coat of Arms, not only those of the
President and the Military.
Carlos Thompson, 9 January 2004
Both common Ecuadorians and Colombians use their flags with
and without the arms on a daily basis.
Even though norms (laws or decrees) describe the
“proper” use of “civil” and “war
flags”, there is little knowledge, let alone compliance,
with those norms outside police and military related institutions
in both countries.
Interestingly enough, Colombian National Police units wear the
flag without arms in their uniforms. Ecuador's Army Soldiers, at
least near the common border, wear their flag with arms on their
field uniforms. Colombian Army soldiers do not employ flags of
any kind in their field uniforms, at least within Colombia (too
colorful for camouflage).
Many civil institutions (Universities, Labor Unions, Private
enterprises, etc…) in both Colombia and Ecuador
do employ a Flag with a arms in their ceremonies, albeit it
should employed only as a War Flag.
Inquiring in Ecuador on the subject of the regulation for the use
of the arms, the common assumption was that there was a rule
somewhere that ordered the use of the arms in every flag, but no
one, not even army officers seemed to remember when or which kind
of norm so ruled.
In the Colombian case, the latest rule, often unobserved even in
the presidential palace, is the decree 1967 of 1991, by president
Cesar Gaviria. It can be found here
(in Spanish).
Note that the current administration disregards this decree
without having ruled it out, as can be found here.
Nicolás Velásquez, 9 May 2009
Flag with 1955 Coat of Arms
image by Željko Heimer, 20 May 2001
Yesterday, I saw in TV news the US secretary Colin Powell (in
Bogota???) speaking in front of two flags, US national and
Colombian state (?) flag: it was identical to the presidential
flag (white circle with CoA and red margin with yellow
inscription, possibly "REP..." in the in upper edge and
"COLO..." in the lower one). However, I see no reason
to use presidential flag as a symbol of nation during this kind
of ceremony. So - isn't it the true state flag of Colombia?
Jan Zrzavy, 6 December 2002
Jan's post led me to this page with extensive extracts from
Colombia's flag and coat of arms laws <www.businesscol.com>.
It doesn't clear up the issue of the possible state flag, but
does contradict what we have on the Coat of
Arms.
Joe McMillan, 6 December 2002
Regarding the use of the coat of arms in the flag,
presidential decreeb #1967 of 1991 -you can find it in this link:
<www.presidencia.gov.co>
- settled this long-standing issue, by limiting the use of the
coat of arms to only two flags: -The President's flag -War flags.
Now, in Mr. Powell's visit he was inside the presidential palace,
and there the use of the president's flag is atmitted. The
National Flag is without coat of arms as is correctly stated in
your page.
Jaime Vengoechea, 6 January 2003
There is a photo of a
flag at today's NY Times after the rescue of the FARC hostages.
It contrasts with what we have in that the seal extends only
halfway into the blue stripe. The inscription on this flag reads
simply "REPUBLICA DE COLOMBIA".
Albert S. Kirsch, 4 July 2008
The BBC television programme 'Reporters' which was shown on
the BBC News channel in the U.K. on 1 November 2009 included an
interview with the Colombian Foreign Minister, and the flag behind him looked
identical to the flag which Al reported. Is this perhaps a de
facto Government-use flag?
André Coutanche, 3 November 2009
This flag above has the 1955 Coat of Arms instead of the Coat
of Arms currently in use.
The different versions of the flag with the Coat of Arms are:
1) Heraldic version No. 1 - Coat of Arms version interpreted
correctly, according to the Decrees that created it and modified
it according to Heraldic norms. See wikipedia
and <www.clublancita.mil.co/?idcategoria=201653>
(Official Army website for kids)
2) Heraldic version No. 2 - Coat of Arms with blue seas and green
isthmus, in general use and generally accepted as the current
Coat of Arms. See wikipedia.
3) Government institutions version No 1 - Coat of Arms used by
the Presidency of the Republic. This is the one featured Colombia - Coat of Arms. See wikipedia
and Official
Presidency of the Republic website.
4) Government institutions version No 2 - Coat of Arms used by
government entities between 1950 and 1960 (alternating, after
1955, with the one 1955 coat of arms).
This is not anymore in use, although some entities do use it,
maybe erroneously because of the lack of heraldic knowledge. See wikipediaand
Consulate
of Colombia in Miami official website.
5) Government institutions version No 3 - Coat of Arms used by
the Chamber of Representatives (Lower House of the Colombian
Parliament). This is not anymore in use, since all the government
entities now use the one used by the Presidency. See wikipedia
and <www.camara.gov.co>.
6) Government institutions version No 4 - Coat of Arms used by
the Senate of the Republic (Upper House of the Colombian
Parliament). Until very recently they used a Coat of Arms
different from the previous five (see Colombia
- Senate Flag ), but now they have adopted (as the other
government institutions have and should) the one in use by the
Presidency.
7) Proposal - There was actually a proposal between 2007 and 2008
of changing several elements of the Coat of Arms, in order to be
more accurate with the current situation of the country, for
example replacing the Isthmus of Panamá for the Archipelago of
San Andres and Providencia, but a lot of controversy arose from
it, without any formal conclusion. The image of the proposal is
at wikipedia.
So the current Coat of Arms of Colombia is the Heraldic Version
No. 2 but the one more generally accepted and usually used by
Government institutions and sometimes by civilian populatin
(specially in electronic format) is the one used by the
Presidency of the Republic.
E.R., , 3 November 2009
image located by Esteban Rivera, 12 May 2013
On April 22, 2013 during a speech of the current President of Colombia, a
Colombian flag was featured showing the Coat
of Arms but with no circular fringe around
it and without any inscription.
Esteban Rivera, 12 May 2013
See also: Colombia - Presidential Flag
image by Eugene Ipavec, 11 April 2006
I saw the website from the Colombian government agency called Proexport,
which is an agency to promote exports and foreign direct
investment. The image is the traditional Colombian tricolor flag
with the usual coat of arms, but the coat of arms is on a smaller
scale.
E.R., 11 April 2006
I estimate the coat of arms disc diameter at 1/4 height
instead of the usual 2/5.
Eugene Ipavec, 11 April 2006
I would say that this is not an official flag, even if used by
an state isntitution. In Colombia very few people care to follow
legal rules about flags, and it is not uncommon to see even
policemen with the national flag upside down in their uniforms.
In this case, I suppose a publicist just put an smaller coat of
armas into the flag, maybe because he thought it would look
nicer.
Nicolas Velásquez, 11 April 2006
Detail of flag. Image located by Esteban Rivera, 12 August 2023
This is a commercial version of the flag, featuring two five-pointed
golden stars as adornments. That is: they (the stars) are not part of
either the CoA or the flag according to legislation. In this case, the
flag is displayed diagonally for indoor purposes (folded).
Esteban Rivera, 12 August 2023
image by Francisco Gregoric, 28 Febuary 2003
The description of this flag of the Colombians in Ecuador was
made by Jaime Vengoechea from Bogota, Colombia. He says
this flag is used in Football (Soccer) Stadiums in Ecuador, and
the Colombian Community of Ecuador uses it too.Jaime also told us
that taxi drivers in Bogota sometimes use the same kind of flag.
Francisco Gregoric, 28 Febuary 2003
Yes, indeed I described this flag but I want to warn you about
it's use:
1. Some Colombians in Ecuador use it, specially in the context of
soccer games between Colombia and Ecuador, where of course a
matter of proportions won't help people tell who you support.
2. It could also be seen during the last world cup, where if you
recall Colombia did not compete but Ecuador did.
3. The taxi dirver version would be a hand-held flag of I guess
20 by 10 cm.
4. None of these uses are official
5. And it is not a widesprad use.
Francisco is probably aware of the practice in Argentina of
writing messages on the white stripe, that range form
"Marado sos dios" to things no one understands. Some
flagmaker in Colombia propbably thought it would be worthwhile to
make this sort of flag industrially.
We should be careful about labelling this the "flag of
colombians in Ecuador" nor of the "Colombain Community
in Ecuador" , since its use is far from widespread, and I
think most colombians in Ecuador would not feel identified with
such a flag. The true nature of this flag is one used abroad,
particularilly in Ecuador, usually in a context where there
woudln't be clarity as to what nation that flag is to represent.
And as little flags to put on the window of the taxi. And various
other spontaneous uses.
Jaime Vengoechea, 2 March 2003
The commercial use of the flag has been very common with the
Colombian flag in football matches. For some time, a
brewery has been sponsoring the Colombian Football Team and in
the stadiums they give people Colombian flags with the logo of
one of their beer trade marks, so when people is flying the flag
to hail the team they are, at the same time, advertizing the
brewery.
Carlos Thompson, 2 March 2003
image by Eugene Ipavec and Željko Heimer,
25 August 2005
Photos that were taken during Colombia's Independence Day
parade on July 20th, 2005 in Bogotá, the country's capital, show
the Colombian flag on a vertical manner.
E.R., 25 August 2005
image by Eugene Ipavec and Željko Heimer,
19 August 2008
Flag spotted on 6 June 2008 at Eldorado Airport, Bogota. It
was hanged on an hangar and I believe that it belongs to one of
two Air Force units: CAMAN or CATAM that are located in this
airport.
E.R., 19 August 2008
image by Eugene Ipavec, 4 March 2006
Here is version of the Colombian official flag with cravat on
the top of the of the flag pole.
Source: Picture taken from the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo on January 26,
2006.
E.R., 4 March 2006
Detail of flag. Image located by Esteban Rivera, 12 August 2023
This specific flag is a diagonal variant for indoor use; motto is unofficial and
added on by flagmakers.
I spotted today on the official
website of the General Command of Military Forces website,
the Colombian flag with coat
of arms and motto. The motto is LIBERTAD Y ORDEN (Liberty and
Order) in golden capital letters on the bottom fringe of the
outter circle surrounding the coat of arms. The photo was taken
on October 23, 2009, in the city of Cartagena
E.R., 26 October 2009
image by Eugene Ipavec, 6 January 2006
This is the Colombian tricolor, cockade version.. I've seen it
at special parades. The design is similar to the cockade of the Cartagena State
(1811-184). The only differences is the color composition.
Source: Photo at Ministry
of National Defense official website.
E.R., 6 January 2006
The parrot Ara macao (in English: macaw; in French:
ara) is known in Colombia as guacamaya bandera. The
epithet bandera recalls that the bird has the
same colours as the national flag. However, on the images
of the macaw I have found, the colours seem to be arranged, from
top to bottom, as red-yellow-blue instead of yellow-blue-red in
the flag. Well, it is not said that the bird "wears"
the national flag! I guess the same name can be used in
neighbouring Ecuador and Venezuela. Here is image as an example.
Source: Guide du Routard <www.routard.com>.
Ivan Sache, 26 December 2004
