The state flag of the Republic of El Salvador was officially approved as an integral symbol of the country in May 1912.
Description and proportions of the flag of El Salvador
The flag of El Salvador has a classic rectangular shape, like the vast majority of flags of independent states on the world map.
But the proportion of the ratio of the width and length of the flag of El Salvador is perhaps the most unusual in the world - 189: 335.
El Salvador's flag is a rectangle that is divided horizontally into three identical stripes. The middle is white, while the top and bottom are dark blue. The emblem of El Salvador is inscribed in the center of the flag within a white field. It is a circle, the borders of which are indicated by the inscription in Spanish meaning "Republic of El Salvador in Central America". In the middle of the circle is a triangle with five volcanoes enclosed within it, rising from the blue sea waves. This is a symbolic image of five countries that have united to form a federation of Central America. Above them on a stick is a Phrygian cap, which is a symbol of free peoples and the struggle for independence. The date inscribed on the coat of arms recalls September 15, 1912, when El Salvador gained sovereignty. Behind the triangle are five flags of El Salvador, and a laurel wreath unites the composition, fourteen bunches of leaves of which symbolize the same number of departments in the country.
The blue stripes of the flag of El Salvador represent the sky and the waters of the Pacific Ocean, and the white field represents the desire of its people to live in peace and build an equal society.
History of the flag of El Salvador
Historically, several different versions of the cloth have been used as the flag of El Salvador. In 1821, after gaining independence from Spanish colonial rule, the inhabitants of the country adopted a rectangular cloth with three horizontal stripes as the flag of El Salvador. The central and widest one was dark yellow, and the outermost and two times thinner were red. A year later, the flag of El Salvador turned blue and white, as it is today. It only lacked a coat of arms.
In 1865, the flag of El Salvador was given the appearance of stars and stripes. Five thin blue stripes and four similar white stripes horizontally divided the rectangle into nine fields. At the top of the shaft is a red square with twelve white stars in three horizontal rows.
The final modern version of the flag of El Salvador took its place on the flagpoles in 1912 and has remained unchanged since then.
