Flag of Colombia

What the flag looks like

Three horizontal bands of yellow, blue and red, with the yellow band taking up the top half and the blue and red each a quarter; there is no emblem.

What it means

Yellow is commonly said to represent the nation's wealth, blue its two seas and red the blood shed for independence.

How to remember it

Colombia is the plain one: a double-height yellow band with no emblem; Ecuador adds a condor coat of arms and Venezuela an arc of stars.

Fun facts

• The yellow, blue and red colors come from the flag of independence leader Francisco de Miranda and are shared with Ecuador and Venezuela, the other heirs of Gran Colombia.
• Colombia is named after Christopher Columbus and is the only South American country with coastlines on both the Pacific and the Caribbean.

Colombia at a glance

Capital

Bogotá

Region

South America

Population

53 million

Area

1,141,748 km²

Languages

Spanish

Currency

Colombian peso ($)

Flag adopted

1861

Flags often confused with Colombia

• Ecuador: Colombia and Ecuador are both yellow, blue and red with a double-height yellow band. Ecuador has a coat of arms with a condor in the center; Colombia's flag is plain.
• Venezuela: Colombia and Venezuela are both yellow, blue and red stripes. Colombia's yellow takes up half the flag and it has no stars; Venezuela's stripes are equal with an arc of white stars.