The Flag of Uruguay

The flag of Uruguay is a colorful, historic banner that creates strong feelings of unity and national pride among the people of Uruguay. If you have Uruguay roots it is impossible not to feel a stirring of emotion when you see the flag of your country waving proudly in the air.

There are a number of interesting facts pertaining to the flag of Uruguay. Many people do not realize that this is one of the oldest national flags in the world. This fact is one of enormous pride for the people of Uruguay.

The appearance of the Uruguay flag is a combination of influences derived from both the Argentinean flag and the flag flown by the United States of America.

Here is a picture I took of the Flag of Uruguay. You see them everywhere. In general the people of Uruguay have a real sense of patriotism and pride. I took this picture while on a tour boat called the Calypso which sails from Punta del Este Uruguay to Isla de Lobos which is a famous Uruguay Attraction that is very popular with tourists.

Uruguay first adopted this unique Joaquin Suarez design on December 16, 1828. At this time the flag had a total of 17 blue and white stripes. Less than 2 years later, on July 11, 1830 the stripes seen in the Uruguay flag were reduced to a total of 9 which were meant to represent the first 9 departments that were established in this South American nation.

Although people quite frequently describe the Uruguay flag as having blue stripes it actually has both blue and white stripes. The canton that is in the upper left hand corner is a depiction of the golden Sun of May against a white background.

The sun's design features 16 extended rays which are either straight or wavy in appearance. Many people are able to see a Mayan influence in the design of the sun.

The national flag of Uruguay is not the only one that is flown by the country. The government has chosen to officially recognize other banners as well due to their historical and cultural significance. The country proudly flies all of these flags and you can see them fluttering in the breeze atop many government buildings.

One of these is the Flag of Artigas which features a wide blue stripe at the top and bottom with a white stripe in the middle. A red stripe extends diagonally from the upper left corner to the bottom right corner. This diagonal stripe was included in the design of this flag of Uruguay by order of General Jose Artigas.

The flag of Trienta y Tres consists of 3 equal stripes. The blue stripe is seen at the top, the white stripe is in the middle and the red stripe is found at the bottom. The words Libertad o Muert are printed across the middle of this Uruguay flag.

In addition to these flags there are also banners that are flown over the ocean. One of these is the Standard of the President of Uruguay when he is at sea, and the other is the Naval Jack of Uruguay.

The one consistent factor that links all of these Uruguay flags
is the presence of blue and white coloring.

For me, the sun in the right corner reminds me of the Myan or Incan Sun and the color represents to me the beach or sand. The blue on the Uruguay Flag is almost a sky blue or light ocean blue. This shade of blue always gives me a real feeling of well being or warmth and belonging. Its almost peaceful or to sum it up completely relaxing.