Colombian
Flag
Flag of
Colombia
Before the
arrival of its European colonizers, the region known today as Colombia
was largely inhabited by the Chibcha people, who put up little resistance
as the Spanish conquistadors advanced inland to establish Bogota in 1538.
From then onwards, Colombia formed part of a Spanish colony known as New
Granada, which comprised Colombia, Panama and most of Venezuela. The area
was enlarged in 1819 to include Ecuador, while in the same year it gained
its independence from Spain, the new state of Gran Colombia being
established by 'The Liberator', Simon Bolivar.
Like those of its neighbors, Ecuador and Venezuela, the Colombian flag was
based on the flag flown by Bolivar's troops during the struggle for
independence, the colors of which were first used by Bolivar's
predecessor, Francisco de Miranda, in 1806. After Ecuador and Venezuela
broke away from their union with Gran Colombia in 1830, Colombia
continued to use the flag that it had adopted in 1819, although the
stripes were arranged vertically until 1861. The double-width, yellow
stripe, which dates from the days when Gran Colombia was first formed,
symbolizes universal liberty and justice; the blue stripe represents the
sea and skies surrounding the country; while the red stripe denotes
fraternity and the blood shed by Colombia's liberators during their
struggle for independence.
