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Venezuela

República Bolivariana de Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

Last modified: 2003-08-16 by dov gutterman
Keywords: venezuela | america | bolivar | star |
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[Flag of  Venezuela]
National Flag

by Giuseppe Bottasini



State Flag in circular and straight up stars allignment
by Guillermo Aveledo


Official Name: Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (República Bolivariana de Venezuela)
Capital: Caracas
Location: South America
Government Type: Federal Republic
Flag adopted: 19 Febuary 1954
ISO Code: VE



See also:


Official Name of Venezuela

From Agence France Presse, November 13, 1999 :
"Venezuela changes name to "Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela"
Venezuela's Constitutional Assembly on Friday approved a name change for the country, which in the future will be called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has said the name change was an essential part of his "revolutionary project" to change the country's constitution.
"Bolivarian" referes to revolutionary figure and national hero Simon Bolivar.
Members of a style commission agreed the text of the name change, although it has not yet been decided when the name change would go into effect. "
David Fowler , 14 November 1999

Venezuela has, if the people give a YES vote to this Constitutional change and a new name: República Bolivariana de Venezuela. However, the Flag will remain the same.
Guillermo Aveledo , 14 November 1999

See also: Coat of Arms


The Flag

In 1930, the National Congress rearranges the stars to its actual design: in a semi-circular order. Officialy, the stars have to be placed in a "arc" fashion, but there are no specifications about the arc other than the horizontal placing: centered. Also, there are many versions of the Venezuelan flag, using different shades of blue on the central band. On official buildings, military units and navy ships, the flag carries the arms on the corner, centered on the yellow band. The colors and the stars represent:
Yellow: Nobleness, love, power, and sovereignity (also, all the venezuelan wealth)
Blue: Loyalty, Justice and Perseverence (also the ocean that separates Venezuela from Spain, the Motherland)
Red: honor, bravery, strength and greatness (also, the blood of all who fought for Venezuela’s liberation)
The stars represent the 7 united provinces who signed the Independence Act, on July 5, 1811. This provinces were Caracas, Cumaná, Barcelona, Barinas, Margarita, Mérida & Trujillo.
Jorge V. Alonso-Iglesias

at <www.ucab.edu.ve> (defunct) one finds:
"Our flag is made up of three horizontal stripes of equal width. Yellow stands for the richnesses of the territory, blue for the sea separating us from Spain and red for the blood shed by our patriots during the Independence [War].
Our national flag was brought by General Francisco de Miranda in his second expedition on March 12th, 1806 into "Vela de Coro" ; this is why the Flag Day is held on March 12th. It was recognised as national standard by Congress on July 15th, 1811 and was firstly hoisted as such on July 14th that year."
Santiago Dotor , 30 December 1998

Coro, which is the oldest city in the mainland of Venezuela, is directly on the shoreline. A lookout post was placed north of the city, and was named "La Vela de Coro", literally "The watch over Coro". The Spanish word "vela" can both mean sail and vigil. This later is the correct sense of this word, the place where the vigil, the watch, took place.
Ricardo Kowalski, 15 September 1999

Flags in Venezuela are made in a very informal, quite crafty way. As far as I know, There isn't any official guideline or chart for the construction of the national flag, so there are flags with smaller stars, narrower archs, longer stripes, different colours.In the current constitution, it says, about the flag, that this is the tricolori of yellow, blue and red.
Plain and simple. Not much further explanatios are set in the law of National Symbols.
Guillermo Tell, 5 November 1999

According to [pay00], the "plain" flag (YBR, 7 W stars, no Coat of Arms) is used as alternative civil flag and ensign.
Ivan Sache, 14 January 2001

National Flag of Venezuela, 1930 - Established on July 15th by disposition of the National Congress (as it must be), it incorporates the constellation of stars in arc of circle with the convexity upwards, perhaps, as remembrance of the crest that until that year enriched some reproductions of the Coat of Arms of the Republic. Still one stays effective in two variants: the one of Civil Use with its three colors and seven stars and the one of State Use, that adds the Venezuelan Shield of Arms in full color at the canton. Nevertheless, the Law of National Flag, Coat of Arms and Anthem effective from 1954 establishes in fact three Venezuelan flags: Tricolor without Stars and Coat of Arms, for Civil Use; Tricolor with Stars and Coat of Arms, for  State and Military use and the one of the Merchant Marine, which would only take Stars and that the Venezuelan Soul did hers for Civil Use actually making unthinkable the absence of the Stars.
Raul Orta, 9 May 2002

The "Law of National Flag, Shield and Anthem" effective since 1954 is the only legal instrument which regulates the matter in my all Country, in agreement it establishes the Constitution in force since 1999. Article 2º of the mentioned Law establishes three national flags, that is to say:
1. A field divided in three horizontal and equal stripes: yellow, blue and red that correspond to the Civil Flag and Ensign;
2. The previous design to which adds seven five-pinted and white stars in arc of circle with the convexity upward and the Venezuelan Coat of Arms on the canton, that constitutes the State and War Flag and Ensign;
3. The design described on numeral "1" which adds only the seven stars in the same disposiciòn already described, that even though it was established originally for the merchant marine concludes consolidated by popular will like Civil Flag and Ensign replacing in fact the indicated on the corresponding text.
However, the prevailing situation on my Homeland has unquestionably generated a renovation and exaltation of the Venezolanity in all its most genuine expressions. Even though the Law determines a character distinction, the National Soul has assumed indifferently the National Flag (with Stars) and the National Pavillion (with Stars and Coat of Arms) like Emblem of Identity. Even more, taking as axis the design of the National flag diverse variants has been generated responding the predominant feelings, which we have come compiling to share them with you opportunely.
As far as the "finial", the Venezuelan "Ceremonial Military Protocol and Regulation" in force establishes that the spear to which of leans the National Pabellòn will carry a "Moharra" with the Venezuelan Coat of Arms in relief within a contour that simulates a spear-point. In another cases, any type of "conventional" finials has been used: from spheres, to streamlined flower or spear-points; even, there are masts which lacks them. Nevertheless, the more spread custom has been to raise or to fix the National flag on spears or mast finished off on spear-points, doing an informal analogy with those of the "llaneros" (plain men) that integrated the Patriotic Forces during the Venezuelan  War of Independence.
Raul Orta, 6 January 2003


7 Stars


circular and straight up stars allignment (see below)
by Guillermo Aveledo , 30 December 1999

In the national Venezolan flag the stars are for (hoist to fly): Caracas, Cumana, Barinas, Barcelona, Margarita, Mérida and Trujillo. The seven provinces revolted against Spain colonial rule.
Jaume Olle , 14 February 1997

in last "Vexillacta" (a belgian vexillolgical review), a note about the venezuelian flag states that the 7 stars are disposed so as to have a point orientated towards the exterior of the imaginary circle of stars.
Armand Noel du Payrat , 20 December 1999

according to the Law of National Symbols they could be arranged like that, as it did not specify, and we could also (and usualy) find the version of the flag depicted above: the point of th stars pointing straight up. As I've been paying attention to any venezuelan flags I see on the street (and there are many: we are on a national duel due to the mudslides and floods which we suffered last week), and have noticed both variants used in very similar proportions. My count: 35 (straight up) to 33 (circular allignment).
Guillermo Aveledo , 20 December 1999

The real national flag have the stars in arc, but standing over their two "legs", and not following the arc.
Pablo Acosta Ri'os, 15 June 2000

Wrong Flag with Black Stars

Gouda's Roem, a margarine factory, issued in c. 1950 a several flag albums; text: R. J. J. Heirman (ex-teacher); drawings: Leonard Truk. Editor: van Dijk's Mengbedrijven, Gouda.
From the albums here is a Venezuela's flag with CoA in the canton and a bow of seven black stars.
Jarig Bakker, 14 August 2001

In fact and according to our reliable sources, the Venezuelan Vexillological History registers solely blue stars on the yellow stripe and white stars on the blue stripe: black stars on the blue stripe would be little visible even relatively close...
So, it is one is only a peculiar flag that probably is product of a press error.
Raul Orta, 9 July 2002