{{Short description|none}} {{Infobox flag | Name = Republic of Paraguay | Image = Flag of Paraguay.svg | Use = 111111 | Symbol = {{FIAV|111111}} {{IFIS|Normal}}≈{{IFIS|twosided}} | Proportion = 11:20 | Adoption = 1842 (last modified {{start date and age|2013|7|15}}) | Design = A horizontal triband of red, white & blue, defaced on the obverse with the coat of arms of Paraguay. | Image2 = Flag of Paraguay (reverse).svg | Use2 = Reverse flag | Symbol2 = {{IFIS|reverse}} | Proportion2 = 11:20 | Design2 = A horizontal triband of red, white and blue, defaced on the reverse with the reversed coat of arms of Paraguay. }} [[File:Paraguay flag bandera.jpg|thumb|280px|right|Three Paraguayan flags hoisted in a shopping mall in Asunción.]]
The current design of the '''flag of Paraguay''' ({{langx|es|bandera de Paraguay}}; {{Langx|gn|Paraguái poyvi}}) was first adopted in 1842.<ref name="Behnke"/> Its design, a red–white–blue triband, was inspired by the colours of the French Tricolour, believed to signify independence and liberty. The flag is unusual because it differs on its obverse and reverse sides: the obverse of the flag shows the national coat of arms, and the reverse shows the seal of the treasury. It is the only national flag worldwide that has a unique design on each side.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Flag of Oregon {{!}} Meaning, Beaver Emblem & History {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-Oregon |access-date=2024-02-03 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> The flag consists of the same three horizontal colours as the flag of the Netherlands,<ref name=":0">{{Citation |title=Details |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/paraguay/flag |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112235111/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/paraguay/flag |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 12, 2021 |work=The World Factbook |access-date=2023-04-24 |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |language=en}}</ref> which in turn was the inspiration for the French flag.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Flag, nation and symbolism in Europe and America |date=2007 |publisher=Routledge |others=Thomas Hylland Eriksen, Richard Jenkins |isbn=978-0-203-93496-8 |location=London |oclc=182759362}}</ref> It was revised in 2013 to bring the flag towards its original design. It has a ratio of 11:20.
Prior to the current design, the country used two other designs: a similar one with no seal where the white stripe was slightly larger than the other two (1812–1826), and a different simple design featuring a blue field and a six-pointed white star in the upper-left corner (1826–1842).
==Symbolism and design== Officially adopted in 1842 (following the Recomendación, i.e.: address, of the ''Junta gubernativa de Asunción''),<ref name="Behnke"/> each side of this tricolour flag contains a horizontal tricolor of red, white and blue with the national emblem centered on the white band.<ref name="Behnke">{{cite book |author=Alison Behnke |title=Paraguay in Pictures |date=1 August 2009 |publisher=Twenty-First Century Books |isbn=978-1-57505-962-4 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/paraguayinpictur0000behn/page/69 69–]|url=https://archive.org/details/paraguayinpictur0000behn/page/69}}</ref> The colours of the flag are believed to be inspired from the flag of France to show independence and liberty, and the coat of arms represents the independence of Paraguay.<ref name="FlagDB">{{Cite web |title=The Flag of Paraguay |url=https://www.flagdb.com/paraguay |access-date=2024-05-15 |website=flagdb.com |language=en}}</ref>
* The emblem on the obverse side is the national coat of arms of Paraguay: a yellow five-pointed star surrounded by a green wreath of palm and olive leaves tied with ribbons of the colour of the stripes, and capped by the words <small>''REPUBLICA DEL PARAGUAY''</small> ("Republic of Paraguay" in Spanish), all within two concentric circles).<ref name="Behnke"/><ref name="JermynYong">{{cite book |author1=Leslie Jermyn |author2=Jui Lin Yong |title=Paraguay |date=1 September 2009 |publisher=Marshall Cavendish |isbn=978-0-7614-4858-7 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/paraguay00jerm/page/123 123–] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/paraguay00jerm/page/123}}</ref> * The emblem on the reverse side is the seal of the treasury: a yellow lion below a red Phrygian cap on the top of a pole (symbolising courage) and the words ''Paz y Justicia'' ("Peace and Justice").<ref name="Behnke"/>
The differences in the obverse and reverse sides comes from the period when José de Francia was in power (1814–1840).<ref name="wflags">{{cite web |url=http://www.worldflags101.com/p/paraguay-flag.aspx |title=Paraguay flag |publisher=World Flags 101 |access-date=1 August 2015 |archive-date=19 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191119010101/http://www.worldflags101.com/p/paraguay-flag.aspx |url-status=dead}}</ref>
===Colors=== The 2013 statute that defines the flag does not specify colors for the red and blue stripes,<ref name="fotw.info">https://www.fotw.info/flags/py.html</ref> merely stating, "The red colour, as well as the blue colour, shall be kept as so-called 'primary colours,' that is, without admixture with other colours."
Colors here are from SeekFlag,<ref>https://seekflag.com/flag/paraguay-flag/</ref> but others specifications have been used.<ref name="fotw.info"/> {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" ! 30px|border !! style="background-color:#d52b1e"|<span style="color:white;">Red</span> !! style="background-color:#FFFFFF"|White !! style="background-color:#0038a8"|<span style="color:white;">Blue</span> |- | '''RGB'''<ref name="fotw.info"/> || 213-43-30 || 255-255-255 || 0-56-168 |- | '''Hexadecimal'''<ref name="fotw.info"/> || #d52b1e ||#FFFFFF || #0038a8 |- | '''CMYK'''<ref name="fotw.info"/> || 0, 80, 86, 16 ||0, 0, 0, 0 || 100, 67, 0, 34 |}
Colors of the Coat of Arms are specified in the Appendix of Decree No. 11,400 (July 15, 2013).<ref>https://www.fotw.info/flags/py_law.html</ref> {| class="wikitable" ! 30px 30px ! '''Pantone''' || '''RGB''' || '''HEX''' || '''CMYK''' |- | style="background-color:#ED1C24; color:white; font-weight:bold;" | Red || PMS 485 C || 237, 28, 36 || #ED1C24 || 0, 100, 100, 0 |- | style="background-color:#FFF108; font-weight:bold;" | Yellow || PMS Yellow C || 255, 241, 8 || #FFF108 || 0, 0, 100, 0 |- | style="background-color:#00A651; font-weight:bold;" |Green || PMS 355C || 0, 166, 81 || #00A651 || 100, 10, 100, 0 |- | style="background-color:#885321; font-weight:bold;" | Brown || PMS 478C || 136, 83,33 || #885321 || 40, 65, 100, 0 |- | style="background-color:#B2A336; font-weight:bold;" |Khaki || PMS 4505C || 178, 163, 54 || #B2A336 || 35, 30, 100, 0 |- | style="background-color:black; color:white; font-weight:bold;" | Black || PMS Black C || 0, 0, 0 || #000000 || 0, 0, 0, 100 |}
==History== ===Revolutionary flags=== {{Gallery|align=center|height=120 |File:Flag of Paraguay 1811.svg|15 May–16 June 1811 |File:Flag of Paraguay June 1811.svg|6–17 June 1811 |File:Flag of Paraguay (1811).svg|17 June–August 1811 |File:Flag of Paraguay (1811-1812).svg|August 1811–15 August 1812 |File:Flag of Paraguay (1812-1826).svg|15 August–30 September 1812 }}
The first flags used in the territory of modern Argentina were those associated with the Spanish crown. The last formally used Spanish flag was a red and yellow one, established by King Charles III in 1785 and used mainly for naval and military purposes. The first Paraguayan flag was raised on 15 May 1811, in Asunción, the day after the May Revolution. It was a solid blue flag with a white six-pointed star in the canton. The blue color symbolized Our Lady of the Assumption, from whom the capital of Paraguay is named.<ref>{{cite web |title=La bandera paraguaya |url=https://www.abc.com.py/especiales/bicentenario/la-bandera-paraguaya-227249.html |website=abc |access-date=7 March 2026}}</ref>
This flag was used for less than a month before Governor Bernardo de Velasco was removed from office on 9 June. From 6 June 1811, some officials began to introduce an informal flag in green, white, and blue, with equally proportional horizontal stripes. The First General Congress, appointed on 17 June, began using flags with blue, yellow and red stripes. The colors were chosen as a combination of the local blue with the colors of Spain, as the newly-instated Superior Governing Junta was still trying to maintain loyalty to Ferdinand VII, who was at the time a prisoner of Napoleon. Initially, the Spanish coat of arms also appears on the flag, but later descriptions do not mention it.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=11 August 2019 |archive-date=7 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161007120733/http://www.mdi.gov.py/index.php/seguridad-ciudadana/item/4919-las-banderas-del-paraguay-y-su-historia-el-ministerio-del-interior-cuenta-con-una-galer%C3%ADa |title=Las Banderas del Paraguay y su Historia |url=http://www.mdi.gov.py/index.php/seguridad-ciudadana/item/4919-las-banderas-del-paraguay-y-su-historia-el-ministerio-del-interior-cuenta-con-una-galer%C3%ADa}}<!-- auto-translated from Spanish by Module:CS1 translator --></ref>
The flag was changed again on 15 August 1812, to a red, white, and blue tricolor, with the central white stripe wider than the red and blue stripes. Created by the First Supreme Ruling Junta (which included May Revolution heroes Fulgencio Yegros, Fernando de la Mora, and Pedro Juan Caballero), this flag remained in use until 30 September, when the stripes were aligned.
===Doctor Francia era=== {{Gallery|align=center|height=120 |File:Flag of Paraguay (1813).svg|1812-1842 |File:Flag of Paraguay (1826-1842).svg|1826-1842 |File:Flag of Paraguay (1813-1840).svg|1820s }}
The tricolor flag without the emblem is called the first flag of the Republic because it was in force when Paraguay was declared a republic at the Second National Congress held in 1813. In 1826, the perpetual dictator José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia restored the May 1811 flag, but with a light blue tint. The blue flag was used alongside the tricolor. In the 1820s, a flag with vertical stripes was also used. The vertical flag is sometimes considered an expression of de Francia's sympathy for the French Revolution and the ''Tricolore'', which was not the national flag of France at the time.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Peña |first1=Benjamín Vargas |title=La bandera |url=https://www.portalguarani.com/1283_benjamin_vargas_pena__/20988_la_bandera__por_benjamin_vargas_pena.htmlhttps://www.portalguarani.com/1283_benjamin_vargas_pena__/20988_la_bandera__por_benjamin_vargas_pena.html |website=Portal Guarani |access-date=7 March 2026 |ref=LA BANDERA DEL DICTADOR FRANCIA}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|access-date=11 August 2019 |archive-date=7 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161007120733/http://www.mdi.gov.py/index.php/seguridad-ciudadana/item/4919-las-banderas-del-paraguay-y-su-historia-el-ministerio-del-interior-cuenta-con-una-galer%C3%ADa |title=Las Banderas del Paraguay y su Historia |url=http://www.mdi.gov.py/index.php/seguridad-ciudadana/item/4919-las-banderas-del-paraguay-y-su-historia-el-ministerio-del-interior-cuenta-con-una-galer%C3%ADa}}<!-- auto-translated from Spanish by Module:CS1 translator --></ref>
===Current flag===
{{Gallery|align=center|height=120 |File:Flag of Paraguay (1842–1954).svg|Ratio: 2:3 (1842–1954) |File:Flag of Paraguay (1954–1988).svg|Ratio: 1:2 (1954–1970s) |File:Flag of Paraguay (1990-2013).svg|Ratio: 27:50 (1970s–2013) }}
{{Gallery|align=center|height=120 |File:Flag of Paraguay (1842–1954, reverse).svg|(1842–1954, reverse) |File:Flag of Paraguay (1954–1988, reverse).svg|(1954–1970s, reverse) |File:Flag of Paraguay (1990–2013, reverse).svg|(1970s–2013, reverse) }}
On 25 November 1842<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Embajada del Paraguay en Japón |quote=El 25 de Noviembre de 1842, el Congreso Extraordinario declaró que se utilizara exclusivamente la tricolor del 15 de Agosto de 1812 y ya con el agregado de los Escudos Nacionales, el Oficial y el de Hacienda, como es actualmente. El escudo va colocado en la franja blanca a cada lado y aglutina un grupo de símbolos, de gran significación para este pueblo. |title=Bandera Paraguaya |url=https://embapar.jp/paraguay/bandera/ |website=www.embapar.jp}}<!-- auto-translated from Spanish by Module:CS1 translator --></ref>, on the same day, formal declarations of independence were also issued<ref>[http://www.cultura.gov.py/lang/es-es/2011/05/el-congreso-del-25-de-diciembre-de-1842/ Margarita Durán Estragó, ''El Congreso del 25 de noviembre de 1842'', en el sitio de la Secretaría Nacional de Cultura de la República del Paraguay.]</ref><ref>[http://www.elmartillojudicial.com.ar/2011/04/30/independencia-del-paraguay-25-de-abril-de-1842/ ''Independencia del Paraguay'', en Julio Irazusta, ''Vida política de Juan Manuel de Rosas'', publicado en El Martillo Judicial.]{{dead link|url=http://www.elmartillojudicial.com.ar/2011/04/30/independencia-del-paraguay-25-de-abril-de-1842/|bot=InternetArchiveBot|date=March 2019}}</ref>, when Carlos Antonio López and Mariano Roque Alonso were in power in the country, the Congress unified the flags as a horizontal red, white and blue tricolor. Additionally, the new national emblem is placed in the center of the flag on the obverse and the seal of the treasury on the reverse. The details of the coat of arms were not determined at that time, but the overall design of the flag remained unchanged except for the proportions. During the dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner in the 1970s or 1980s, the design by Harold Theodor Ronnebeck began to be informally used as the basic coat of arms design.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=26 April 2025 |archive-date=23 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723202854/http://sur1810.com/nota/4462/paraguay_cambio_su_bandera_y_su_escudo_nacional/ |date=15 July 2013 |publisher=Sur1810 |title=Paraguay cambió su bandera y su escudo nacional |url=http://sur1810.com/nota/4462/paraguay_cambio_su_bandera_y_su_escudo_nacional/}}<!-- auto-translated from Spanish by Module:CS1 translator --></ref><ref>{{cite news|access-date=26 April 2025 |date=16 July 2013 |periodical=Última Hora |title=Escudos de la bandera tendrán modificaciones |url=http://www.ultimahora.com/escudos-la-bandera-tendran-modificaciones-n704605.html}}<!-- auto-translated from Spanish by Module:CS1 translator --></ref>
On 15 July 2013, President Federico Franco will present a project for a standardized coat of arms and thus a flag. The coat of arms was simplified and the design was brought closer to the forms used in the 19th century:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.flagsaustralia.com.au/Newcountryflags.html |title=New Country Flags |publisher=Flags Australia |access-date=1 August 2015}}</ref> the inscription “República del Paraguay”, which was yellow with a red background, became black with a colorless background. In addition, the blue circle surrounding the yellow star disappeared.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-07-16 |title=Escudos de la bandera tendrán modificaciones |url=https://www.ultimahora.com/escudos-la-bandera-tendran-modificaciones-n704605 |access-date=2025-11-17 |website=Última Hora |language=es}}</ref>
==See also== * Coat of arms of Paraguay * Flags whose reverse differs from the obverse * List of Paraguayan flags
== References == <references />
==External links== {{commons category|Flags of Paraguay}} *{{FOTW|id=py|title=Paraguay}}
{{Paraguay topics}}
{{South America topic|Flag of|title=Flags of South America}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paraguay, Flag of}} Flag Category:National flags Category:Flags introduced in 1842 Category:Flags introduced in 2013 Category:Flags with coats of arms Category:Flags including Spanish Category:Flags with circles Category:Flags with blue, red and white