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Colombia - Presidential Flags

Last modified: 2024-03-02 by rob raeside
Keywords: colombia | president |
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image by Jaume Ollé, 27 October 2001

NOTE: The inscription on this flag currently reads only "REPUBLICA DE COLOMBIA" (see below)



See Also:

Other sites:


Overview

Ratio 2:3. Adopted: 9 November 1949. In use except small changes of the shield. Normally it has been used with a bordered red circle. Often in the red it has been written in gilded letters: Republica de Colombia - Presidencia (or Presidente). The executive decree that creates the flag does not mention neither the red circle, nor the inscription.
Jaume Ollé

Presently, a presidential falg also exists. It is the national flag with a white circle at the center, the circle is bordered by a red line. Inside the circle is the coat of arms. The inscription "Presidencia de la República" is on the red line. This flag is also used by other government institutions of the three branches, but they change the inscription accordingly (e.g., "Senado de la República" -senate-, "Ministerio de Defensa - defense minstry , "Corte Suprema de Justicia" -supreme court, etc...)
My source is "Banderas y Escudos del Mundo EASA", Editorial América S.A., 1986., as well as personal experience
Jaime Vengoechea, 10 April 1999

Concering 'Pavillons nationaux et marques distinctives' [pay00], Fig. 2 (naval ensign) - Note 1 says in wartime it have red border around the disk containing the Coat of Arms, Fig. 7 is presidential flag, being the national flag with red bordered white disk with Coat of Arms. Are they the same?
Željko Heimer, 9 January 2001

Not exactly (different dimension of red ring).
Armand du Payrat, 9 January 2001

The info above mention that the presidential flag often bears gold inscription "Republic of Colomba - President" (in appropriate language, of course). However, it is also said that the legislation does not prescribe the red border at all (in presidential flag). The same flag as presidential (or maybe as naval during wartime) is apparently used by various govermental offices, with appropriate inscription in red border. But, maybe that is not the state ensign described, but rather the indoors flags of those offices.
Željko Heimer, 12 January 2001

On presidential flag the red ring is smaller in diameter then the naval ensign and not reaching (or just touching, depending on source) the red stripe.
Željko Heimer, 17 May 2001

At [pay00] - President of the Republic (2:3) - National flag with the Coat of Arms on white disk surrounded with a red ring. This might include golden inscription (as it seems from some images on www.presidencia.co that the version without inscription in used (sometimes?) for table flags and similar). Though, what's exactly inscribed in the ring is not quite clear, and the reports above are two- (or even three) fold. It may be that the exact wording is not prescribed and maybe it depends on the manufacturer. On top there are the uninscribed version and one with inscription according to my interpretation (based on one of the possibilities reported above).
Željko Heimer, 20 May 2001

In the Presidencial Flag the inscription REPUBLICA DE COLOMBIA and the inferior part of the circle LIBERTAD Y ORDEN.
Felipe Carrillo, 16 November 2002

The flag with red ring (no inscription) appear at Fachinger Collection - Plate 6 as: "Colombia".
Jaume Ollé, 12 June 2004

Here is a photo of the Colombian elected President Álvaro Uribe Vélez when he took office, on August 7th, 2002 (His term is due on 2006) with the presidential flag and presidential sash.
E. R., 22 March 2005

There is a photo of a flag at today's NY Times after the rescue of the FARC hostages. It contrasts with what we have in that the seal extends only halfway into the blue stripe. The inscription on this flag reads simply "REPUBLICA DE COLOMBIA".
Albert S. Kirsch, 4 July 2008

According to the latest legislation on Colombian flags, in Article No. 8 of Decree No. 1967 of August 15, 1991 it says that the Bandera Nacional (National Flag), the official name of the Colombian flag, can only be used with the Coat of Arms by the President and the Armed Forces, being called Bandera de Guerra (War Flag). Then on Article No. 12 it says that the Coat of Arms can be used in the Bandera Nacional del Presidente de La República (President of the Republic National Flag), official name of the Presiden'ts flag, War Flags, and official documentation.
E. R., 25 August 2008


Variants

image by Jaume Ollé, 27 October 2001

image by Jaume Ollé, 27 October 2001

image by Jaume Ollé, 27 October 2001

Presidential flag as legislated (never used), and the three patterns really in use.
Jaume Ollé, 27 October 2001

image located by Paul Bassinson, 1 July 2023

A variant of the Presidential flag of Colombia obtained from https://www.facebook.com/photo shows the arms rotated to be viewed on a draped flag.
Paul Bassinson, 1 July 2023

This version even though resembles a Presidential flag is actually a variant of the country's flag featuring two five-pointed stars, very similar (in design) to the 1955 sash as well as the previous one. Again, this design takes elements from Presidential flags and sashes and incorporates them into its own.
Esteban Rivera, 2 July 2023


Previous Flags

1) image by Željko Heimer, 20 May 2001

2) image by Željko Heimer, 20 May 2001

These flags are displaying the 1955 Coat of Arms.
E.R., 25 August 2005

The flag featuring the 1955 coat of arms is supposed to have the letters more closely together, as this other image. The source for this comment is the Presidential flag that appears in this official stamp commemorating the life of one President who was sworn in office between 1978 and 1982. Closeup of the image (in which the Presidential flag is seen) can be located here.
Esteban Rivera, 05 April 2016


Casa de Nariño

image by Eugene Ipavec, 2 July 2006

There is an image of the President of Colombia (Álvaro Uribe Vélez), with the Colombian tricolor on the background and the flag of the Casa de Nariño (Nariño's House), which is the Presidential house.  The flag is the same as the Senate flag, only instead of the word SENADO, it should be CASA DE NARIÑO.
Source: www.armada.mil.co.
E. R., 2 July 2006


Presidential Sash

    image by Eugene Ipavec and Francisco Gregoric, 5 July 2006
2002-2006 sash

The only difference regarding other countries that I've had the chance to see their presidential sash (like Venezuela, Chile or Bolivia) is that the Colombian Presidential Sash has the Coat of Arms with red outline and on the top: REPUBLICA DE COLOMBIA (in golden letters) and on the bootom the presidential term (usually other countries' shashes do not include the Presidential term). So for this last President (Alvaro Uribe Velez), his term is 2002-2006 (in golden letters), and so you can read this on the bottom of the sash.
Source: www.latinamericanstudies.org.
E. R., 5 July 2006

Today Colombia's reelected President takes charge for the 2006-2010 term. He will use the same Presidential Sash that he wore during the inauguration ceremony, back on August 7, 2002. The only change will be on the years that appear on the Coat of Arms.
E. R., 7 August 2006

Variant

    image by Eugene Ipavec and Francisco Gregoric, 21 July 2007

I found a variant of the Colombian Presidential Sash. During Álvaro Uribe's second term as President (2006-2010), he is wearing a sash without a red fring around the Coat of Arms.
Source: Colombian Presidency official website.
E. R., 21 July 2007

1910-1914 sash

    image by Eugene Ipavec and Francisco Gregoric, 17 June 2009

I found some pictures showing Carlos Eugenio Restrepo who was President of Colombia between 1910 and 1914. In these pictures you can see the Presidential Sash with the Coat of Arms used at the time, the simple Coat of Arms (that is no flags on the sides as ornament) with the Andean Condor on top.
Sources: www.lablaa.org, wikipedia.
E. R., 17 June 2009

1955 Sash

    image by Eugene Ipavec, 29 July 2011

The original sash worn by General Gustavo Rojas Pinilla during his inauguration as President of Colombia is displayed at the Museo de la Policía Nacional (National Police Museum).
It has the same structure as the other sashes (Colombian tricolor) plus the coat of arms
Image taken on March 3, 2010. The sash features the 1955 version of the coat of arms of Colombia and on the bottom fringe surrounding the coat of arms, is "13-VI-53", meaning June 13, 1953, the day he was inaugurated. Also notice two jewels (probably a ruby) on each side of the embroided date.
Funny to notice, is that even though the sash shows 1953 as its date, it featured the 1955 coat of arms, which leads me to think that the 1955 coat of arms was in use before it was officially adopted.
Esteban Rivera, 21 July 2011

This image that describes the 1955 Presidential Sash is actually mistaken, since it portrays the current coat of arms, and it should feature the 1955 Coat of Arms instead.
Esteban Rivera, 06 April 2014


Vice President Flag

'World News Today' on BBC4 tv in the UK (and also, I believe, on BBC World tv) had a report from Colombia on 9 June 2008 which included an interview with the Vice-President. A close-up showed that the flag behind him was the Vice-Presidential flag and the seal does indeed extend just part-way into the blue stripe. The separators between the top and bottom sections of the ring of wording are more like tildes rather than bullets.
André Coutanche, 4 July 2008


Unusual variation of the Colombian flag at President's office

      images by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 12 November 2014

Today the local newspaper El Colombiano shows a picture. I don't know exactly what it stands for, but it seems to be some sort of indigenous people version of the Colombian flag variant (let us remember that when current President Juan Manuel Santos was elected President back in 2010, before he went to Congress for his inaugural speech as it is costume on August 7, he first traveled to the Sierra Nevada in the rural area of Santa Marta on August 6, to attend a spiritual and religious ceremony to receive the blessing of the indigenous peoples that live there: kogi, wiwa, arawak and kankuam).
Esteban Rivera, 10 October 2012

  image located by Esteban Rivera, 10 October 2012

Well, it's a pattern with yellow over blue over red in both directions. It may be the actual warp and weft, of almost ribbon-like yarn.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 24 January 2013

Do you mean diagonally (yellow-blue-red) from top to bottom and are you suggesting the green and purple box appearances come from the mixing of the colored threads?
Pete Loeser, 25 January 2013

I mean that both horizontally and vertically it's wide yellow, narrow blue, narrow red. If you look closely at the image, you'll see that the orange, green, and purple are really bi-colours. Likewise, you can see that the red, yellow, and blue have a pattern to it that matches the two colour pattern of those secondary colours. It's really like a warp and weft of 0,5 cm wide combining to give those colours. That's what gives them that specific look.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 26 January 2013

As Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, has mentioned fully in his 24, 25 and 26 of January 2013 posts, this is simply a Colombian woven fabric flag, with "interlacing" colors (between the warp and weft directions) due to its hand made proccess in which the ratios are kept between the colors (yellow is 50% on top, yellow 25% in the middle and red 25% on the bottom) plus having "additional" colors due to the combination of all of them (green as a result of mixing yellow and blue, orange by mixing yellow and red, and purple by mixing blue with red). Also Peter attaches an image that pretty much covers the topic and identifies the flag.
Esteban Rivera, 02 February 2013

Well, I probably should send them to the list then: One just the colours, and one with the edges of the yarn indicated. I see that the effect of the orange does work in my image, but the purple and green less so; I guess the specific shade of blue used in the flag has something to do with that.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 03 February 2013

I remember that this flag first spotted in 2010 does exists, not only as a desktop flag, but also as a flag displayed at the President's office, as seen in the following news report by RCN tv news channel.
Image attached is a screenshot of RCN tv news taken on February 19, 2014.
I haven't been able to identify this flag. My best guess is that it is an interpretation, rendering (or wahtever similar word you can find) of the Colombian flag from a native people's point of view using a warp (weaving tecnique) interlacing the different colors of the flag and having them overlapped instead of mixed (to forma a new color) in a sense of respecting differences among the significance of each color (and also maybe to represent multiracial origin). Again, it is a guess and a symbolic description.
Esteban Rivera, 06 April 2014

And in other shots this was seen to be free-standing, not merely on a high point like the thingy on the viewers' left? Well, either way we know the design is still in use.
The appearance of the tween-colour also depends on the size of the image, obviously.
Unfortunately, when I asked the Colombian government about it, I received back a message asking what I was asking about. (The wonders of top-posting mean I don't know what they were asking about.) This lead nowhere, which may have to do with my imperfect grasp of the Spanish language.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 08 April 2014