Nicaragua, or the Republic of Nicaragua, is a state located in Central America, with a territory of 129.5 thousand km2 and a population of over six million people.
This is what the modern flag of Nicaragua looks like:
History of the flag
The Spaniards conquered the territory of Nicaragua in the first quarter of the 16th century and made it their colony. Three centuries later Nicaragua became part of the Mexican Empire and was given a flag.
In 1823 a federative state was created in Central America (CA) consisting of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Los Altos. At that time the flag of Nicaragua was a tricolor cloth with the coat of arms of the Federal Republic of CA.
Subsequently, another coat of arms was added – the United Provinces of Central Asia.
The disintegration of the CA FR began with the withdrawal of Nicaragua in 1938, and the following year the country had its own symbol. After that, during the 19th century there were several attempts to restore the union.
During the period 1896-1898 the Great Republic of CA was established and at that time the symbol of this association was used.
Unification into a union in the form of an organization of the CA states was in the middle of the 20th century, but the nature of this union was different from previous ones. In general, however, for all the time after leaving the Mexican Empire up to 1910, when the military junta seized power in the country, Nicaragua adopted and used various versions of flags:
- 1852-1854
- 1854-1854
- 1858-1889 and 1893-1896
- 1889-1893
- 1896-November 1898 and on to 1908.
For a brief period in 1898 the symbol of the Great Republic of CA was used.
The modern flag of the Republic of Nicaragua was adopted in September 1908 and reapproved in August 1971.
Description
The emblem of the Republic of Nicaragua includes two horizontal stripes of blue below and above and a white stripe between them. All three stripes have the same width. The sides of the cloth have a ratio of 3 to 5.
In the central part of the flag on its white part is the emblem of the republic, which is represented by a triangle with equal sides. Inside the figure shows 5 volcanoes by the sea. Above them is a headdress (Thracian cap) in red, from which white rays emanate. A rainbow is drawn above the cap and volcanoes. At the base of the triangle in a semicircle is the inscription: “Central America. At the top, from the left side of the triangle toward the right, again in a semicircle, is the inscription: “Republic of Nicaragua. The inscriptions are in Latin letters.
Flag colors
The main colors of the symbol of the republic are blue and white, plus all the colors of the rainbow depicted on the coat of arms. In addition, shades of green and yellow are used to illustrate volcanoes.
Meaning of colors and flag symbol
The blue colors symbolize the oceans: the Pacific and Atlantic. In addition, this color also refers to the lakes of Managua and Nicaragua. The white stripe represents the land (land) between the two seas.
The figure of a triangle with equal sides means equality. The rainbow is a symbol of goodness and peace, and the Thracian cap (or Phrygian cap) represents freedom.
The five volcanoes are the union and brotherhood of the states of Central America and the five states of this region.
Other Flags
In Nicaragua during the dictatorship there was a political force, the Sandinista Front of National Liberation, which had its own symbols.
Some government organizations also have their own emblems:
- Armed Forces;
- Air Force;
- Naval Forces.
Similar flags
The national symbol of the Republic of Nicaragua has similarities with the symbols of such countries as:
- Salvador
- Honduras
The differences are that the central part of the flags apply their own symbols or images of coats of arms.
- Argentina
In the case of Argentina, blue stripes are used instead of blue and a different coat of arms.
General information about Nicaragua
Official language | Spanish |
Capital | Managua |
Territory | 129 494 km² |
Population | 5 966 798 people |
Currency | cordoba (NIO code 558) |
Phone Code | +505 |