Ecuador Flag
Ecuador's flag has been in
use since 1860, which makes it one of the world's oldest flag designs.
The bright yellow, blue and red flag is a symbol of Ecuador
and its national pride and you will see it everywhere from football
matches to government departments.
A search on the internet for
'Ecuador flag' will give you lots of information, much of it
contradictory, especially when it comes to the symbolic meanings of the
flag design. Perhaps the truth is a combination of all of
them.
The flag of Ecuador is yellow
on the top half, which symbolises fertility and
abundance and also
recalls the Federation of Greater Colombia, to which Ecuador belonged.
The band below the yellow on the Ecuador flag is blue, the
colour of the sea and the sky and said to represent Ecuador's
independence from Spain and the Spanish conquistadores. The
lowest band on the flag is red which is variously said to represent
either courage or the blood spilt in the fight for Ecuador's
independence.
Ecuador's coat of arms is in
the middle of the flag, showing the country protected beneath the wings
of a condor, the huge national bird of Ecuador. The Ecuador
coat of arms shows snow-covered Mount
Chimborazo
(Ecuador's highest peak and the furthest point from the centre of the
earth) and the first steamboat in Latin America sailing
on Ecuador's great river, the
river
Guayas.
Visit the
Ecuador Travel Site .org for
tourist information, travel tips, accommodation discounts, photos and
more about Ecuador.
Ecuador
Flag
Notes on the design and symbolism of the flag of Ecuador and Ecuador's
coat of arms
