Flag of Peru

What the flag of Peru looks like

The Peruvian flag has three vertical stripes of equal width: red at the hoist, white in the middle and red at the fly. The proportions are 2:3. The red is a bright, slightly warm red, and the white is plain.

Peru uses more than one version of the flag, which is a frequent source of confusion:

• The national (civil) flag is the plain red-white-red triband. Ordinary citizens can fly it.
• The state flag and the war flag have the national coat of arms in the center of the white stripe. They are used by the government, the armed forces and official bodies.

The coat of arms shows a shield divided into three fields. In the top left is a vicuña, a relative of the llama, on a light blue field. The top right shows a cinchona tree (the source of quinine) on a white field, and the lower field is red with a golden cornucopia spilling out gold coins. The shield is surrounded by a laurel wreath on one side and a palm branch on the other, and an oak-leaf crown tops it. Together, the three fields stand for the country's animal, plant and mineral wealth.

The small version of the flag is shown as the Peru flag emoji, which uses the plain version. You can also get an image from the download page.

Peruvian flag meaning and symbolism

The most popular story is about José de San Martín, the Argentine general who led the liberation of Peru. According to the legend, in 1820 he landed at Paracas on the southern coast and saw a flock of flamingos (parihuanas) flying overhead at dawn. Their red wings and white chests are said to have given him the idea of the red-white-red colors. Historians treat the story as a legend, but it is told in Peruvian schools and is part of how the flag is understood.

Other explanations are more political. Red is commonly read as the blood shed for independence, and white as peace and purity. Peruvian law does not give an official meaning to the colors, so these are traditional interpretations.

The elements of the coat of arms have clearer meanings. The vicuña stands for the animal kingdom, the cinchona tree for the plant kingdom and the cornucopia for minerals and the country's wealth. The wreath of laurel is a symbol of victory, and the palm branch is a symbol of peace.

History of the Peruvian flag

Before independence, Peru was part of the Spanish Empire and used Spanish banners. San Martín arrived with the Liberating Expedition in 1820 and, after the capture of Pisco, created the first flag of Peru in October of that year. It was divided diagonally into four parts, with red and white alternating. Peru declared independence on 28 July 1821, and in 1822 a new flag was used with horizontal red, white and red bands and a sun in the center.

Over the next few years, several variations were used as the country passed through many governments. The design with three vertical bands was fixed by Congress in February 1825, shortly after the Battle of Ayacucho (December 1824) ended Spanish rule in South America. The coat of arms was added to the state flag at the same time.

A law of 1950 set out the rules for using the flag and the coat of arms, and later laws specified details such as the shades and proportions. The national flag is celebrated each year on 7 June, the anniversary of the Battle of Arica (1880), which is the Day of the Flag. Peru's national holidays, the Fiestas Patrias, are held on 28 and 29 July, when flags are flown across the country.

Flags that look like the Peruvian flag

The closest flag is the flag of Canada, which also has red bands on either side of a white band. The Canadian flag has a maple leaf in the center and its bands are in a 1:2:1 ratio, so the white is twice as wide as each red band. Peru's three bands are equal. The flag of Austria is another red-white-red flag, but its stripes are horizontal.