The Secret History Behind Colombia's Flag

Colombia's flag is split in half on purpose.

Yellow takes up exactly half the flag — double the width of either blue or red below it. It stands for the gold that first lured Spanish conquistadors to the region, and for the sun shining over the land. Blue represents the two oceans that touch Colombia's coasts, the Pacific and the Caribbean — Colombia is the only country in South America bordered by both. Red stands for the blood spilled in the fight for independence.

The design traces back to Francisco de Miranda, a Venezuelan revolutionary who first raised a yellow-blue-red flag in 1806, decades before Colombia's independence movement succeeded. Independence itself began on July 20, 1810 — the date printed on every Colombia design in our catalog, celebrated every year as the country's biggest national holiday.

A flag where even the proportions carry meaning — half gold, half everything else, exactly the way it was designed to be read.

Shop the Colombia collection → — or explore the story behind any other country's flag on our free Flag Story Cards page.