Flag of Uruguay

What the flag of Uruguay looks like

The flag of Uruguay has nine equal horizontal stripes: five white and four blue, starting and ending with white. In the upper hoist corner is a white square called the canton, which holds the Sun of May (Sol de Mayo). The sun is golden yellow and has a human face. It has 16 rays that alternate between straight and wavy ones. The ratio of the flag is 2:3.

The flag is called the Pabellón Nacional (National Pavilion). It is one of three flags that have official status in Uruguay, and this is the one that flies on public buildings and ships.

You can see its emoji form on the Uruguay flag emoji page, and there are image files on the download page.

Uruguay flag meaning and symbolism

The nine stripes stand for the nine departments (provinces) that Uruguay had when the flag was adopted in 1830. The country has since grown to 19 departments, but the number of stripes has stayed the same. Blue and white are the colors of the rivers and sky of the Río de la Plata region, and they were the colors of the independence movement in the area. White is also commonly linked to peace and blue to freedom, though these are popular readings.

The Sun of May is a symbol of the May Revolution of 1810 in Buenos Aires, which began the independence movement across the former Spanish Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. It is also a reference to Inti, the sun god of the Inca. The sun stands for the birth of a free nation and for liberty. Uruguay's motto, Libertad o Muerte (Liberty or Death), is linked to the independence story, though it does not appear on the national flag.

History of the Uruguay flag

In the early 19th century, the territory of Uruguay was known as the Banda Oriental. It was claimed by Spain, then by Portugal and Brazil, and by Buenos Aires. José Gervasio Artigas, the national hero, led a movement for the region's autonomy and created a flag in 1815 with blue and white horizontal bands and a diagonal red stripe across them. This is still one of the official flags of the country.

In 1825 a group known as the Treinta y Tres Orientales (the Thirty-Three Orientals) crossed the river from Argentina to free the territory from Brazilian rule. They carried a flag of blue, white and red bands with the words Libertad o Muerte. Independence was declared in 1825, and Uruguay was recognized as a state in 1828.

An early national flag, approved in 1828, had 19 stripes, which proved too many to read from a distance. The law of 11 July 1830 reduced the number to nine, giving the flag its present form. The design is credited to Joaquín Suárez.

Why Uruguay has three flags

Uruguay has three official national flags. The first is the National Pavilion with nine stripes. The second is the Flag of Artigas, with the diagonal red stripe, which honors the country's founding hero. The third is the Flag of the Treinta y Tres, the banner of the 1825 liberation movement. Each one is used on certain dates and ceremonies, and the Flag of Artigas is flown on 19 June, Artigas's birthday.

Flags that look like the Uruguay flag

The flag looks like the flag of Argentina because both use blue and white stripes and the Sun of May. The Argentine flag has three horizontal stripes in a lighter sky blue, with the sun in the center, while Uruguay's has nine stripes and the sun is in the corner. The reason is shared history: both countries were part of the Spanish Viceroyalty and later fought for independence under the influence of the May Revolution. The flag of Greece also has nine blue and white stripes, but it has a cross in the canton instead of a sun.