Ecuador

3×5' nylon national flag of Ecuador.

Ecuador's coat of arms is a small history lesson. Above Mount Chimborazo flies an Andean condor; below sails the Guayas, the first steamship built in South America; and across the top run the signs of the zodiac for the months of the March Revolution of 1845.

Design

Three horizontal bands of yellow, blue and red, the yellow band taking the top half of the flag. The coat of arms sits at the center.

History & Symbolism

The colors descend from Francisco de Miranda's flag and from Gran Colombia, which Ecuador shared with Colombia and Venezuela. The tricolor was restored on 26 September 1860 under Gabriel García Moreno. Yellow stands for the country's wealth and fertile land, blue for the sky and sea, and red for the blood of those who fought for independence. The condor stands for strength and courage.

Flag Specifications

• Adopted: 26 September 1860; arms standardized 1900
• Official proportions: 2:3
• Colors: yellow, blue, red
• Emblem: coat of arms with condor, Chimborazo and the steamship Guayas

Vexillographer's Note

Without its arms, Ecuador's flag is the same as Colombia's. The coat of arms is not decoration here; it is what tells the two nations apart.

Humphrys Flag Company · Old City Philadelphia · Est. 1864