Flag of Uruguay

What the flag means

By the most common account, the stripes stand for the nine original departments and the Sun of May for the May Revolution of 1810. The design draws on the flags of Argentina and the United States.

History

The Preliminary Peace Convention of 28 August 1828 made Uruguay independent, and provisional governor Joaquín Suárez called for a national flag. The first design, adopted in December 1828, had nine blue stripes on white and was hard to make out at a distance. A law of 11 July 1830 reduced the stripes to the present nine in total. A decree of 18 February 1952 fixed the design of the sun.

Uruguay has three official flags. The 1952 decree also gave official status to the Artigas flag and the flag of the Treinta y Tres, and the three are usually flown together.

Earlier flags of Uruguay

1. 1820–1828Provincia Cisplatina under Brazil: a white stripe between two green stripes
2. 1828–1830White field with nine light blue stripes and the Sun of May

Flags of Uruguay's neighbours

• Argentina
• Brazil