Last modified: 2003-08-16 by dov gutterman
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![[Flag of Venezuela]](../images/v/ve.gif)
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:
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
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
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