Nicaragua Flag History

By Adam Spike


Nicaragua, which derives its name from the chief of the area's leading Indian tribe at the time of the Spanish Conquest, was first settled by the Spanish in 1522. The country won independence in 1838. For the next century, Nicaragua's politics were dominated by the competition for power between the Liberals, who were centered in the city of León, and the Conservatives, centered in Granada.

Arriving in 1524, the Spanish took control and stayed for around 300 years, enslaving the indigenous population, building the cities of Granada and León and fending off attacks from Dutch, French and British pirates. Conflict in Europe gradually weakened Spain's hold over the New World and Nicaragua finally became independent in 1821, becoming a fully independent republic in 1838.

The flag of Nicaragua consists of three horizontal stripes - the top and bottom stripe are blue and the middle stripe is white. Inside the center of the white stripe, and at the center of the flag, is the country's coat of arms.

Centered on the white stripe is the coat of arms: a triangle with Nicaragua's volcanoes, a rising sun, the Cap of Liberty, and a rainbow, encircled by the words "Republica de Nicaragua America Central." The sunshine and rainbow represent a positive outlook for Nicaragua's future. The Cap of Liberty, the Phrygian cap, is a symbol of freedom from Ancient Rome. The cap is found on many Central American flags as a symbol of their pursuit of liberty.

The coat of arms on the flag includes a triangle for equality, a liberty cap for freedom, and five volcanoes between two oceans, symbolic of the five original Central American countries between the Atlantic and Pacific ocean basins.

There is a barrage of cheap and inferior Nicaragua flags being imported and sold, that do not comply with the flag statute. This is bad for a number of reasons. Imported flags are cheaply made and more importantly, the designs, materials, colors, and methods of printing do not compare well with the better quality, longer-lasting, and correctly designed flags. The Flag Company Inc specialized in flag designs offered a special edition of decals and flags to memorize the history of Nicaragua flag for the future.




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