The state flag of the Republic of Costa Rica was officially approved in November 1906.
Description and proportions of the flag of Costa Rica
The flag of Costa Rica has a traditional rectangular shape. Its primary colors are red, navy blue and white. These are the horizontal stripes that adorn the Costa Rican flag. The rectangle is divided into five margins of unequal width. Above and below the flag has horizontal blue stripes of equal width, followed by white stripes of the same width on both sides. In the center of the flag there is a bright red field, the width of which is twice the width of the white and blue stripes. The ratio of the length of the panel to its width is expressed in a ratio of 5: 3.
A red stripe on the left side of the flag of Costa Rica bears the country's coat of arms. It is a shield that depicts three mountains separating the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. There are sailboats on each side of the ridge on the coat of arms of Costa Rica, and a golden sun rises behind the blue surface. The seven stars at the top of the coat of arms symbolize the regions of the country, and the inscription on the white ribbon indicates the name of the state. Above the shield is a blue ribbon with the words "Central America" inscribed on it.
The official flag of Costa Rica is used by the country's government agencies on land and by all ships of its naval and merchant fleets.
The civil flag of Costa Rica differs from the state flag by the absence of a coat of arms on the panel, while the sequence and width of the stripes on them are identical.
History of the flag of Costa Rica
On the Independence Day of Costa Rica in 1821, the original version of its flag was approved. It lasted less than two years. The flag of Costa Rica at that time was a rectangle divided horizontally into three equal parts. The top and bottom stripes on the flag were pale blue, while the middle stripes were yellow. In 1823, a white cloth with a six-rayed red star in the center became the flag of Costa Rica for just a year.
Then the flag of Costa Rica again became three-stripe, only its middle stripe acquired a white color. The outer fields were still pale blue. In the center of the panel, which existed for only six months, was the country's coat of arms. It was a round seal with an equilateral golden triangle inscribed inside. It depicted mountains towering over the sea, a rainbow and sun, and the inscription along the edge of the circle meant "Central American Federation".
