The Secret History Behind Brazil's Flag

Brazil's flag is basically a map of the sky.

That blue globe crossing the center isn't decoration — it's an actual star chart, showing the exact position of the stars over Rio de Janeiro on the night the Republic of Brazil was born: November 15, 1889. Twenty-seven stars in total, one for every state in the country, each one placed exactly where it would have appeared in the sky that night.

Around that sky, the rest of the flag carries its own meaning: green for Brazil's forests, gold for its wealth, and across the band through the center, the national motto — "Ordem e Progresso," Order and Progress — the phrase that's defined the country's self-image since the flag was first raised on September 7, 1822, the date printed on every Brazil design in our catalog.

Most flags use stars as decoration. Brazil's are an actual, accurate map of one specific night that changed everything.

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