Official flag of Uruguay
The
flag of Artigas
is one of the three official
flags of Uruguay
. Originally the national flag of the
Liga Federal
between 1815 and 1820, it was made an official symbol by the Uruguayan state in 1952, and pays homage to political and military leader
Jose Gervasio Artigas
, its designer and the national hero of
Uruguay
.
It has three horizontal stripes inspired by the
Belgrano's flag
, the top and bottom being blue, and the central one white. On top of them, it is crossed by a diagonal red stripe, a symbol of federalism.
In Uruguay, the flag of Artigas must be flown alongside the
national flag
and the
flag of the Treinta y Tres
near or on government buildings.
History
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]
It was designed by
Jose Artigas
based on the flag created in 1812 by
Manuel Belgrano
, but adding a red stripe to represent
federalism
. It was the flag of the
Liga Federal
, a confederation of South American provinces established by Artigas.
Use as military emblems
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The flag of Artigas, and emblems derived from it, have traditionally been used as the symbols of the
military of Uruguay
.
[
citation needed
]
Uruguayan Navy
[
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]
From 1930s to 1990s, warships of the
Uruguayan Navy
flew the flag of Artigas as the
naval jack
, until being replaced by modified pre-1930s design in recent years.
[
when?
]
Uruguayan Air Force
[
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]
The aircraft of the
Uruguayan Air Force
display the flag of Artigas on the fins, as well as a circular version of the flag (
roundel
) on the fuselages and wings.
Uruguayan army and general military use
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There is also a different version of the roundel, known as the
Artigas' cockade
, which is worn as a
cockade
on the uniforms of the military of Uruguay, and also serves as the emblem of the
Uruguayan Army
. It is likewise based on the flag of Artigas, but with blue at the centre, surrounded by white then blue, and with the red diagonal stripe overall.
Other flags
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The flag of the
Argentine province
of
Entre Rios
, mostly governed by the
Federal Party
and
Justo Jose Urquiza
between 1842 and 1870, is inspired on the flag of Artigas
[
citation needed
]
and looks very similar, except that it has a 9:14 ratio and the blue stripes are much lighter.
References
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