Chile flag description. What is the flag of Chile? Meaning of the Chilean flag
The symbolism of the Latin American country of Chile is filled with deep meaning for every inhabitant of the state. What can she tell the whole world about?
What does the cloth look like?
The modern flag of Chile is made in the classical form of a rectangle with an aspect ratio of three to two. It is a tricolor. The lower half is in red, while the upper half is divided: one third is occupied by a blue area with a star, and the other two by a white stripe. Each of the colors has an official interpretation. The red flag of Chile recalls the blood spilled by the patriots in the struggle for sovereignty. This is a very common meaning in heraldry around the world. Blue refers to the Chilean sky, while white is the sign of the Andes mountain range with glaciers on top. The flag of the country's president uses the coat of arms, and the navy places a blue fragment with a white five-pointed star centered on the top stripe instead of at the hoist.
History of appearance
It is believed that Antonio Arcos, a military engineer and fighter for independence from the colonialists, designed the flag of Chile. The standard he created was officially adopted in 1817, when the country gained sovereignty. Since then, it has remained virtually unchanged for two centuries. The modern flag of Chile, whose photographs are familiar to the whole world, retains its appearance during difficult periods in the life of the country, after coups and other important moments. The coat of arms, which is used on the President's cloth, was created in 1834. It was invented by a Briton named Charles Wood Taylor, who was able to perfectly convey the freedom-loving nature of the recalcitrant Chileans.
Coat of arms of the state
When studying the history of the country in heraldry, it is worth taking into account not only the flag of Chile. Another state symbol is no less filled with meaning. developed along with the country, and its modern look perfectly reflects history. It is a heraldic shield divided into blue and red parts. In the center is located These are the main symbols of Chile. The flag and coat of arms have been using them for many decades. To the left of the heraldic shield is a crowned South Andean deer, and to the right is an Andean condor. These animals live almost exclusively in the country. Their crowns speak of the prowess of the state. The deer and the condor are supported by an ornament, along which runs a heraldic white ribbon with the motto "By persuasion or compulsion" written in black letters. This text serves as a good illustration of the difficult one. Above is a helmet emblem in the form of a tricolor plume of blue, white and feathers. This combination of elements has been used since 1834. Prior to this, the shield was supported by the Indians, a man and a woman, and in the center there was a column with a globe on top. Above them were placed a palm branch and a spear, symbolizing the peaceful spirit of the locals. The image was completed by a panel with the motto of the country, which then sounded like "Light after darkness." In 1819, the Indians were changed to cannons, and then the coat of arms acquired its modern look.
March 29th, 2012
Hello dear!
Today we will finish the topic of similar flags, but we will not leave the issues of vexillology in principle (unless you are against it, of course). Previous posts: , .
Let me start with the theme of pan-African flowers. We have already talked in previous posts about pan-Slavic and pan-Arab. So - pan-African ones also exist. These include three colors - green, yellow and red, and a similar combination in one form or another is present on the flags of at least 17 countries of the world, and not only on those located on the African continent (for example, Grenada). Among these flags, there are 2 groups that are often confused, although they differ from each other.
The first pair are the flags of Cameroon and Senegal.
flag of Cameroon.
The national flag of the Republic of Cameroon - adopted on May 20, 1975 and symbolically displays the connection of its 2 parts - the French and British Cameroons. As early as October 1, 1961, the Federal Republic of Cameroon was proclaimed, consisting of two member states - Eastern Cameroon (the former Republic of Cameroon) and Western Cameroon (the former southern part of the UN Trust Territory of Cameroon under British control), and in 1972 the federal device, it became known as the United Republic of Cameroon, for which the flag was thought out in a modern interpretation.
The French tricolor was taken as the basis.
The most famous Cameroonian in our country, Samuel Etoo
The colors have the following meaning:
Green - forests in the southern part of Cameroon and at the same time behind the scenes - French Cameroon;
The red color represents the unity of the north and south of the country, its state sovereignty, as well as the echoes of the German protectorate before the First World War;
The yellow color symbolizes the sun, the savannahs in the northern part of the country, as well as British Cameroon.
The golden star represents the unity of the state. Only one thing is surprising - why the country did not beat the translation from the Portuguese of its name in any way. Cameron is derived from Rio dos Camarões, which means "river of shrimp". Why not a totem animal? :-)
banner of Senegal
The flag of the Republic of Senegal was adopted much earlier - on August 20, 1960, when this country withdrew from the so-called Federation of Mali as an independent state. Unlike the Cameroon tricolor, Senegal has green-gold (or yellow)-red, and the star is green. There are several interpretations of the color scheme, here are the main ones:
Green is the color of the Prophet for Muslims, for Christians it is a symbol of hope, for adherents of indigenous religious beliefs it is a symbol of fertility. State interpretation - the color of progress and development of the country
Gold is a sign of wealth and fertility of the earth. State interpretation is the color of art, culture and writing, the color of reason.
Flag of the Federation of Mali.
The red color is reminiscent of the color of blood, the color of life, the memory of the sacrifices suffered by the entire Senegalese nation, and also the symbol of life.
The five points of the star symbolize the knowledge of Senegal on the five continents. It represents the sky and high spiritual aspirations, especially among the people who live not only on rice and bread. Its green color symbolizes hope and expresses the young independence of the Republic of Senegal.
Another pair of similar flags using pan-African colors would be the flags of states such as Guinea and Mali.
flag of guinea
The Republic of Guinea is generally in trouble - it is often confused with Equatorial Guinea and Guinea Bissau. Meanwhile, these are different states, their separation formally took place as early as 1879, when most of them went to the French (the modern Republic of Guinea), and the smaller one remained with the Portuguese (respectively, Guinea-Bissau)
The flag of the Republic of Guinea was adopted after the independence referendum was held in 1958. It is quite clear that the flag of France is taken as the basis. The first president of independent Guinea, Sekou Toure, decided that the colors should reflect the state motto "Work, Justice, Cohesion", respectively red, yellow, green.
Republic of Guinea map.
According to another interpretation, red is the color of blood, it reflects the spirit of sacrifice and hard work and symbolizes the desire for progress. Yellow is the color of Guinean gold and the African sun, which is a source of energy, nobility and equality, as it shines on everyone. Green is the color of vegetation, agriculture, the productive work of peasants and the spirit of unity in collective farms.
The flag of the Republic of Mali is green-gold-red, and this flag has common roots with the Senegalese, for a little more than a year from 1959 to 1960 they were united into a single state, the so-called Federation of Mali. That is, it is mirrored to Guinean.
Mali flag
At the moment, the government of this state itself gives the following interpretation to the colors of its own flag: “ The green color of the first stripe means hope, the greenery of the meadows and fields of Mali, its soil and everything that leads to an increase in the well-being of the Malian population. The color green also reminds us of the importance of the country's agriculture for development, modernization and integration, without which no effort will be made. The gold second band displays gold mined in the bowels of Mali, as well as other minerals. Who does not remember the fabulously rich journey of Kanku Moussa to Mecca? The golden color indicates the Malians' awareness of the wealth of their country, which belongs to them and which they intend to protect at all costs. The red color of the third vertical stripe provides the Malians with remembrance, reflection and invocation at the same time. The Malians must remember the blood shed to defend their homeland against foreign invaders and free themselves from the colonial yoke. The color red is a call for the Malians who are fighting to the last drop of their blood to preserve the integrity of their land, their subsoil, their artistic and cultural heritage, so that they can be used in their interests.»
sandy town in Timbuktu (Mali)
Now let's leave warm but poor Africa and turn our gaze to Oceania. Several states have similar banners, but 2 of them are most often confused. These are the flags of Australia and New Zealand.
Australian Union banner.
The flag of the Commonwealth of Australia (which is how Australia is officially called) was first introduced in 1901, and in 1903 approved by the King of Great Britain. The British Union Jack shows the history of the state, which for a long time was a colony of the United Kingdom, and this element of the national flag still causes a lot of controversy in Australia. Most likely, in the very near future, a new banner will be adopted in the Australian Union, already without elements of the British one. In any case, everything goes exactly to this.
The other 2 most important elements are the stars. On the right side of the flag we can see the constellation of the Southern Cross. The southern cross is one of the symbols of Australia, and its four largest stars were supposed to reflect the four virtues of the nation: wisdom, justice, courage and moderation. It is interesting that on the original flag the number of rays on these stars depended on their brightness to the sky and varied from 5 to 9. But since 1908, the 4 largest stars of the Constellation received 7 ends each, and the smallest (the epsilon of the Southern Cross) remained five-pointed.
flag of australia from 1901 to 1903
The large star below the Union Jack is called the Commonwealth Star (or Hadar). With the star, everything is also not easy, since on the first flag it was six-pointed and for the “especially conspiracy-minded” it resembled the “Star of David”. Imagine what kind of hollivars would rise now, what “theories” about the Jewish-Masonic-Maori conspiracy would we read if the star had not been remade into a seven-pointed one? But in fact, there was no secret meaning in the symbolism of the six-pointed star - these are the six original states of Australia. The seventh ray represents the current Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory and the six Outer Territories of Australia, including Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, the Cocos Islands, the Coral Reef Islands, Jervis Bay, Norfolk Island, the Australian Antarctic Territory, and Chord and McDonald Islands. .
One of the options for the flag of Australia
It remains only to add that the blue color on the flag means the ocean that surrounds the continent of Australia. Although it is not so simple here either. Often in history, the Australian flag was used with a red rather than blue background, and this is still used by some ships.
The flag of New Zealand was officially adopted on March 24, 1902 and is based on the flag of the Commonwealth of Australia. The difference is that the stars of the Southern Cross are not white, but red, there are 4 of them, not 5, all the stars are the same size and five-pointed, and you will not be able to find the stars of the Commonwealth (which is logical) on the banner. In general and in general, I repeat, the flag of New Zealand follows the flag of Australia.
flag of new zealand
We have 3 pairs of flags left, and on this, I think, this section can be completed.
The first pair is Lithuania and Myanmar.
The Lithuanian national flag is one of the most memorable in Europe due to its interesting color combination. It was designed by scientist Jonas Basanavičius, artist Antanas Žmuidzinavičius and local historian Tadas Daugirdas based on the national patterns and colors of the most ancient peoples of Lithuania. According to the color scheme, yellow is the color of the sun, symbolizing light, prosperity, nobility, honesty and spiritual power. Green is the color of vegetation, symbolizing the beauty of nature, life, hope, freedom and joy. Red is the color of earth and blood, symbolizing love, care, courage and blood shed for the Motherland.
flag of Lithuania.
There is an alternative interpretation - yellow is amber, green is the color of Zalgiris (or Grunwald), one of the key battles in the history of Lithuania and at the same time the color of the best team of the Lithuanian national sport - basketball, but red means the people of the country. The flag was adopted on April 19, 1918 by the Seimas of the country, confirmed in 1992, and in 2004 the proportions of the banner were changed from the original 1:2 to 3:5.
The flag of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar in its current form was adopted as recently as 2010. Prior to that, they had a flag, which was often confused with the Flag of the Republic of China (Taiwan). In general, this very Myanmar country is very peculiar and changes its state symbols regularly (However, like the names). The current flag repeats the flag of the puppet State of Burma, created by the Japanese during World War II, with the exception that instead of a peacock with a fluffy tail, the flag now has a large White Star.
Modern banner of Myanmar.
According to the official version, the three colors of the flag's stripes symbolize solidarity, peace and stability, courage and determination. The white star is a symbol of the unity of the country.
In the end, I left 2 pairs, the most controversial of all. The first pair is Denmark and the Order of Malta. Here the question is the status of the Order. Generally official. According to international law, the Sovereign Military Order of the Knights Hospitaller of St. John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta is a state-like entity, while the order itself positions itself as a state. The order has an observer status at the UN, has diplomatic relations with more than 100 countries of the world. The history of this organization is close and interesting to me, I wrote a book about them, talked with the Brothers of the Order, and personally I consider them a state, despite the fact that not everyone agrees with this interpretation. And if so, then it is quite reasonable if I consider their symbols as state symbols.
banner of the Master of the Order of Malta.
But let's start with the Danes. A red rectangular panel depicting a white Scandinavian cross - a straight cross, the vertical cross of which is shifted to the pole edge of the panel, which in Denmark itself is called the Dannebrog officially the oldest active state banner in Europe, and even in general in the world. Probably everyone knows the legend about its acquisition, but I will repeat myself just in case. The Danish knights, led by King Valdemar II the Victorious, made a crusade against the pagans - the Estonians. On June 15, 1219, when a detachment of Danes was on Toompea Hill (now part of the Upper Town of Tallinn), detachments of Estonians attacked the Danish army - this attack was so unexpected that part of the Danish detachments began to retreat. Then the bishops went up the hill and cried out to God for help.
Finding the Dannebrog, painting by artist K. Lorenzen
Suddenly, a large red banner with a straight white cross descended from heaven. Confident in God's sign, the Danes cheered up and defeated the pagans. Since then, this banner has been used, which in turn became the progenitor of all other Scandinavian standards. The place where the Dannebrog was found can still be visited - it is located in the Garden of the Danish King in Tallinn in the canopy of the Big Hermann Tower, and the iron knight points to it with his finger.
Danish banner
The flag of the Order of Malta is an even more ancient symbol. Back in 1130, Pope Innocent II issued an order: "... Monasticism must fight under a flag with a white cross on a red field". Another question is that another cross was used much more often - an eight-pointed one (otherwise called the Maltese one), and the color of the flag itself was not red, but black.
Flag of the Sovereign Military Order of the Knights Hospitaller of Saint John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta
But at the moment, the official banner of the Order is just that, and the eight-pointed cross on a red background is the personal banner of the Master of the Order. It differs from the Danish flag of the Order in that the cross is located in the center, and not shifted to the staff, as well as the proportions (28:37 for the Danes, against 1:2 for the Order). There is another important point here. The most common mistake is that the flag of the Sovereign Military Hospice of the Order of St. John, Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta, and even more often the flag of the Master, is considered the flag of the Republic of Malta, and this is absolutely not true.
flag of the Republic of Malta.
Well, the last pair should not be present in our review at all. If only because the Republic of Chile is a full-fledged sovereign state, and the state of Texas is an administrative-territorial unit that has a significant degree of sovereignty only in internal affairs, but not in external ones. But the flags are really very similar and they are often confused.
The flag of the current state of Texas was approved on January 25, 1839 as the Republic of Texas, a state that existed in the years 1836-1845, after a breakaway from Mexico.
the Texas state banner next to the federal one.
In 1933, it was officially confirmed as the state flag. According to the flag law, blue symbolizes loyalty, white - purity, red - courage. The star symbolizes the entire state of Texas and the unity of god, state, and country. The Lone Star is a symbol taken from the previous flag, which symbolized Texan solidarity in the fight for independence from Mexico. Now it is interpreted as a symbol of the independent spirit of the state of Texas. The Lone Star gave the state its nickname, the Lone Star State.
Chile flag
The flag of the Republic of Chile was designed by the American Charles Wood, who fought for the independence of Chile as an officer in the army of General José de Saint Martin. It can be seen that he was clearly influenced by the American stripes and stars. It was accepted on October 18, 1817. The white star is the personification of the road to progress and honor. Blue symbolizes the sky; the white represents the snow in the Andes and the red stands for all the blood shed in the fight for independence.
One of the most important national symbols of Chile, the Andean Condor, is depicted on the state coat of arms and on the 100 Chilean peso coin.
The Andean condor is the national symbol not only of Chile, but also of Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. It occupies an important role in the folklore, mythology and religion of the indigenous peoples of the Andes.
The Andean condor is a symbol of the Andes, it is also depicted on the coats of arms of other countries of South America, coins and banknotes of Colombia, stamps of many countries of the world.
andean deer
The Andean deer (also known as the guemal) is one of the rarest deer species found in the rugged mountainous areas of Argentina and Chile. It once inhabited much of southwestern South America and is now critically endangered. In 2005, their number in Argentina was estimated to be only 350-600.
Coat of arms of Chile
A shield is depicted in the center of the coat of arms of Chile. It is held on one side by the Andean condor, an important bird in Andean culture, and on the other side by the Andean deer, a very rare mammal in Chile. Both animals hold a golden crown on their heads, a symbol of the exploits of the sailors of the Chilean navy in the Pacific Ocean.
The coat of arms of Chile is crowned with three feathers in blue, white and red.
At the bottom of the coat of arms is a white stripe with the inscription: "Por la Razón o la Fuerza" (By persuasion or coercion).
Created by the English artist Charles Wood Taylor, it was the last of the various options. Finally adopted June 26, 1834.
Chile flag
The Chilean flag is also rich in symbolism. The red color on the Chilean flag represents the blood shed in the struggle for independence; white - snow-capped peaks of the Andes on the eastern borders of Chile; blue is the color of the sky; the star is a symbol of state power. The flag of Chile is similar to the flag of the state of Texas. Like the Texas counterpart, it is modeled after the flag of the United States.
Under Chilean law, citizens are required to fly the flag on national holidays, including Independence Day (September 18). If Chileans fly the flag incorrectly, they can be fined by the police.
Chilean bluebell
The Chilean Bluebell (also known as Lapageria) is the national flower of Chile. It grows in the forests of southern Chile and Argentina. This evergreen plant reaches a height of 10 meters, weaving among bushes and trees. Red flowers with six petals, fruits - edible berries with numerous small seeds. In the wild, plants are pollinated by hummingbirds.
In the past, the fruits of this plant were sold in the markets, but have now become rare due to deforestation. Since 1977, the Chilean bluebell has been under state protection.
Rodeo
Rodeo has been declared the national sport since 1962. It is most popular in rural areas of the country, especially in Central Chile. The Chilean rodeo is different from the rodeo in North America. In a Chilean rodeo, a team (collera) of two riders (huasos) circle the arena, trying to stop the bull by pinning it against the wall. Points are awarded each time a steer is properly pinned into the corral with deductions for errors. Competitors travel hundreds of kilometers to compete. The final stage of the annual National Championship of the Chilean Rodeo is held in the city of Rancagua. The sport has become so popular that in 2004 spectators were more likely to attend rodeo events than professional football games.
Araucaria Chilean
Chilean Araucaria is an evergreen tree growing up to 40 meters in height with a trunk diameter of 2 meters. Because of its advanced age, the tree is sometimes referred to as a "living fossil". The natural habitat is the lower slopes of the Chilean and Argentine south-central Andes, usually above 1000 meters. Young trees are conical; with age, the lower branches fall off, leaving only an umbrella-shaped crown as the tree ages. Since 1971, it has been under state protection. Chilean araucaria is grown as an ornamental plant. Like other conifers, it purifies the air.
cueca
Cueca officially received the status of a national dance on September 18, 1979. During the dance, the dancers (male and female) hold a handkerchief in their right hand and move along a circular path, interpreting the courtship ritual. The dance often ends with the following scene: the dancer bends down on one knee, and the dancer solemnly places her foot on the other knee.
There are many variants of the kueka dance, the most common version of the central regions of the country is taken as the standard. Currently, cueca is distributed mainly in rural areas, but on Independence Day, the whole country dances cueca.
Videos cueca
Other symbols
Several iconic symbols of Chile represent the following parts of the country.
The flag of the Republic of Chile is an integral symbol of statehood, like the emblem and anthem of the country.
Description and proportions of the flag of Chile
The cloth of the national flag of Chile has a length to width ratio of 3:2. It is a three-color rectangle, the lower half of which is bright red. The top half of the flag is divided into two unequal parts. One third of it, closest to the shaft, is made in blue. On the blue field is a white five-pointed star. The rest of the top of the flag is white.
The red color of the flag of Chile is a symbol of the blood shed by the patriots of the state in the struggle for the independence of the country. Blue is the cloudless Chilean sky, and white is the Andes mountain range with eternal glaciers on its peaks. The five-pointed star on the flag of Chile is the country's guide to new heights, success and glory.
The flag of the president of the country practically repeats the state one with the only difference being that the coat of arms of the country is applied in the middle of it. The coat of arms of Chile on presidential flags is a heraldic shield, the top of which is blue and the bottom is red. The center of the shield is occupied by a five-pointed star, and it is crowned with a helmet emblem - a sultan of blue, white and red feathers. On the sides of the shield are the symbols of the country - the South Andean deer and the Andean condor. The crowns on their heads symbolize the maritime prowess of the state, and the animals rest on an ornament intertwined with a ribbon with the motto of the country. Translated from Spanish, it sounds "By persuasion or coercion."
The flag of the naval forces of the Republic of Chile is a blue square with a white five-pointed star equidistant from its edges.
History of the Flag of Chile
The author of the flag of Chile is Antonio Arcos, who was not only a military engineer, but also a participant in the armed struggle for the independence of the continent from the colonialists. The flag was officially approved in 1817, when the Spaniards were utterly defeated during the liberation battles, and the country gained independence.
The flag of Chile has not changed for almost 200 years, despite all the events in the political life of the country and repeated coup d'état.
The coat of arms of the country appeared in 1834, and was invented by his subject of the British crown, Charles Wood Taylor. Today, the creation of the British adorns the flag of the South American Republic and symbolizes the freedom-loving spirit and rebellious temper of the Chilean people.
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Books
- Distress call. Leviathan Hunt, Mine Reid Thomas. Apparently, one ship is chasing another. The schooner with slanting sails clearly belongs to the pirates. Another ship, from the hatches of which the muzzles of guns look, is a frigate. English is fluttering above it ... Buy for 306 rubles
- Distress signal. Leviathan Hunt, Thomas Mine Reid. Apparently, one ship is chasing another. The schooner with slanting sails clearly belongs to the pirates. Another ship, from the hatches of which the muzzles of guns look, is a frigate. Above him flutters English ...