Flag of Brazil

The national flag of Brazil is a blue disc depicting a starry sky (which includes the Southern Cross) spanned by a curved band inscribed with the national motto () ('Order and Progress'), within a yellow rhombus on a green field. It was officially adopted on 19 November 1889, four days after the Proclamation of the Republic, to replace the flag of the Empire of Brazil. The concept was the work of Raimundo Teixeira Mendes, with the collaboration of , and Décio Villares.

The green field and yellow rhombus from the previous imperial flag were preserved (though slightly modified in hue and shape). In the imperial flag, the green represented the House of Braganza of Pedro I, the first Emperor of Brazil, while the yellow represented the House of Habsburg of his wife, Empress Maria Leopoldina. A blue circle with white five-pointed stars replaced the arms of the Empire of Brazil its position in the flag reflects the sky over the city of Rio de Janeiro on 15 November 1889. The motto is derived from Auguste Comte's motto of positivism: "L'amour pour principe et l'ordre pour base; le progrès pour but" ("Love as a principle and order as the basis; progress as the goal").

Each star, corresponding to a Brazilian Federal Unit, is sized in proportion relative to its geographic size, and, according to Brazilian Law, the flag must be updated in case of the creation or extinction of a state. At the time the flag was first adopted in 1889, it had 21 stars. It then received one more star in 1960 (representing the state of Guanabara), then another in 1968 (representing Acre), and finally four more stars in 1992 (representing Amapá, Roraima, Rondônia and Tocantins), totaling 27 stars in its current version.

History

Colonial Brazil (1500–1815)

thumb|The flag of the [[Princes of Brazil was a standard for the Portuguese heir, though often used in Brazil due to the namesake of the princes]]

The Portuguese territories in the Americas, corresponding roughly to what is now Brazil, never had their own official flag, since Portuguese tradition encouraged hoisting the flag of the Kingdom of Portugal in all territories of the Portuguese Crown.

The first Brazilian vexillological symbols were private maritime flags used by Portuguese merchant ships that sailed to Brazil. A flag with green and white stripes was used until 1692. The green and white colors represented the House of Braganza and the national colours of Portugal. In 1692, that flag was no longer used by ships that sailed to Brazil and became the flag of the merchant vessels in coastal Portugal. In 1692, a new flag was introduced for merchant vessels sailing to Brazil. The new flag had a white field with a golden armillary sphere. The armillary sphere had served as the personal emblem of King Manuel I of Portugal (reigned 1494–1521). During his reign Portuguese ships used it widely, and eventually it became a national emblem of Portugal and, more specifically, of the Portuguese empire. A similar flag was introduced for the Portuguese ships that sailed to India, but with a red armillary sphere. Despite representing the entire Portuguese empire, the armillary sphere began to be used more extensively in Brazil – the largest and most developed colony at the time – not only in maritime flags, but also on coins and other media. It eventually became the unofficial ensign of Brazil.

United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves (1815–1822)

File:Flag of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves (1815-1825).svg|Flag of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves (1816–1822)

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In 1815, Brazil was elevated to the rank of kingdom, and the kingdoms of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves were united as a single state – the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. The Charter Act of 1816 established the insignia of the new kingdom. It specified that the arms of the Kingdom of Brazil was to be composed of a gold armillary sphere on a blue field. The green and yellow colors represented the dynastic houses of Pedro I and his consort Maria Leopoldina of Austria.

thumb|A Pátria (The Fatherland) by [[Pedro Paulo Bruno, a 1919 painting depicting the Brazilian flag being embroidered by a family]]

Fonseca suggested that the flag of the new republic should resemble the old imperial flag. It was officially adopted on 19 November 1889.

The flag has been modified on three occasions to add additional stars intended to reflect newly created states: 1960 (22 stars), 1968 (23 stars) and 1992 (27 stars). In contrast to many other national flags with elements representing political subdivisions, modifications to the flag of Brazil were not always made promptly upon political reorganisation, resulting in multi-year periods of history where there was a mismatch between the number of stars and the number of states and federal districts. The most recent modification was made on 11 May 1992, with the addition of four stars to the celestial globe (representing states created between 1982 and 1991), and a slight change in the stars' positions was made to match the astronomical coordinates correctly.

Design

Decree No. 4, issued on 19 November 1889, legally replaced the flag used under the constitutional monarchy with the new national flag. The last change was held on 11 May 1992, Law No. 8.421, altered the celestial globe with the addition of six stars. The flag's length is twenty modules and the width, fourteen, translating into an aspect ratio of 10:7. The distance of the vertices of the yellow rhombus to the outer frame is a module and seven-tenths (1.7 m). The blue circle in the middle of the yellow rhombus has a radius of three and a half modules (3.5 m). The center of the arcs of the white band is two modules (2 m) to the left of the meeting point of the extended vertical diameter of the circle with the base of the outer frame. The radius of the lower arc of the white band is eight modules (8m) and the radius of the upper arc of the white band is eight and a half modules (8.5 m). The width of the white band is a half of a module (0.5 m).

The caption "Ordem e Progresso" is written in green letters. The letter P lies on the vertical diameter of the circle. The letters of the word "Ordem" and the word "Progresso" are a third of a module (0.33 m) tall. The width of these letters is three-tenths of a module (0.30 m). The conjunction E has a height of three-tenths of a module (0.30 m) and a width of a quarter of a module (0.25 m).

The stars are of five different sizes: first, second, third, fourth and fifth magnitudes. They are drawn within circles whose diameters are: three-tenths of a module (0.30 m) for the first magnitude, a quarter of a module (0.25 m) for the second magnitude; a fifth of a module (0.20 m) for the third magnitude, a seventh of a module (0.14 m) for the fourth magnitude, and a tenth of a module (0.10 m) for the fifth magnitude. The constellation of the Southern Cross is on the meridian (indicated by the number 6 in the diagram). To the south of it is Polaris Australis (Sigma Octantis, numbered 7), representing the Federal District. A single star lies above the band, representing the large northern state of Pará, which straddles the equator.

The band with its motto appears roughly coincident with the ecliptic, as in the armillary symbol of Manuel I of Portugal and colonial Brazil, while none of the stars symbolized lie north of these lines. Some interpretations of the band also identify it with the Amazon River.

Stars and states

The stars depicted on the flag and the states they represent are:

|Scorpius, the Scorpion

|1889

|Alagoas

|Theta Scorpii (Sargas)

|Scorpius, the Scorpion

|1889

|Sergipe

|Iota Scorpii

|Scorpius, the Scorpion

|1889

|Paraíba

|Kappa Scorpii

|Scorpius, the Scorpion

|1889

|Rio Grande do Norte

|Lambda Scorpii (Shaula)

|Scorpius, the Scorpion

|1889

|Pernambuco

|Mu Scorpii (Xamidimura & Pipirima)

|Crux, the Southern Cross

|1889

|Espírito Santo

|Epsilon Crucis (Ginan

{| class="wikitable"

! style="background:#009440; width:200px" | Green

! style="background:#ffcb00; width:200px"| Yellow

! style="background:#302681; width:200px" | Blue

! style="background:#FFFFFF; width:200px"| White

!RGB

| <code>0/148/64</code> || <code>255/203/0</code> || <code>48/38/129</code> || <code>255/255/255</code>

!Hexadecimal

| <code>#009440</code> || <code>#ffcb00</code> || <code>#302681</code> || <code>#ffffff</code>

!CMYK

| <code>84/12/96/1</code> || <code>0/21/93/0</code> || <code>100/97/10/1</code> || <code>0/0/0/0</code>

Proposed design alterations

left|thumb|Proposed design alteration for the flag, with the added word "Amor"

In 2021, the movement "Amor na Bandeira" (in English, Love in the Flag) proposed to update the flag's motto from "Ordem e Progresso" to "Amor, Ordem e Progresso" (Love, Order and Progress), in allusion to the motto of positivism "L'amour pour principe et l'ordre pour base; le progrès pour but" (Love as a principle and order as the basis; progress as the goal), formulated by the French philosopher Augusto Comte, which inspired the original motto in the flag. One of the main proponents of the movement was the politician Eduardo Suplicy, who had previously supported bill PL 2179/2003 by Deputy Chico Alencar, which had the same goal. That 2003 bill also aimed to change the expression on the Brazilian flag to Love, Order and Progress.

Flag protocol

thumb|right|upright|The flag being replaced in a monthly ceremony held at the [[Praça dos Três Poderes (Three Powers Plaza) in Brasília]]

Federal Law No. 5,700, issued on 1 September 1971, defines the flag protocol in Brazil. The flag must be permanently hoisted at the Praça dos Três Poderes in Brasília. The flag must be raised and lowered daily at the presidential palaces (Palácio do Planalto and Palácio da Alvorada); ministries; National Congress; Supreme Federal Tribunal; Supreme Court of Justice; seats of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches; diplomatic missions; Federal, state and local institutions; and merchant navy units. When a flag is no longer fit to use, it must be delivered to a military facility to be burned during a special ceremony on 19 November ("Flag Day").

The flag must be flown at half-staff when the President decrees official mourning. In addition, state and local governments may decree official mourning with the death of a mayor or governor. When the flag is displayed at half-staff, prior to raising or lowering it, the flag must be raised to the top of the flagpole and then lowered to the halfway mark. When the flag is being carried in procession, a black crape ribbon must be tied to the top of the mast.

A foreign flag may only be flown with a Brazilian Flag along its right side. The only exceptions are when the foreign flag is displayed in an embassy or consulate and in prize-giving ceremonies of sport competitions won by foreign athletes. When multiple flags are raised or lowered simultaneously, the Brazilian Flag must be the first to reach the top of the flagpole and the last to reach the bottom.

Folding

{| class="wikitable"

!Stage!!Description!!Example

!First

|The upper half of the flag's height is folded into the reverse side.

|class="noresize" rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;"|150px

!Second

|The folding proceeds by folding the flag's lower half into the reverse side until most of the blue disc and the motto face up.

!Third

|The flag is then folded into three parts along the width axis, with the fly and hoist folded into the reverse side, leaving the blue disc and motto facing up.

Flag anthem

The Brazilian Flag Anthem (Hino à Bandeira Nacional) is a song dedicated to the country's flag. It is performed on 19 November (Flag Day). The Portuguese lyrics were written by poet Olavo Bilac, and the music composed by Francisco Braga.

! Portuguese lyrics The is a dark green rectangle (ratio 2:3) holding the national coat of arms on its center. It is usually hoisted at the President's official residence, the Palácio da Alvorada, and at the President's workplace, the Palácio do Planalto. It is also displayed on the presidential car, as small-sized flags. The is a yellow rectangle (ratio 2:3) with twenty-three blue stars disposed in a cross dividing the flag into four equal quadrants, with the coat of arms in the middle of the upper left quadrant.

Military flags

Some of the branches of the Brazilian military also have their own flags.

File:Flag of the Brazilian Army.svg|alt=The flag of the Brazilian Army|Brazilian Army (since 1987)

File:Flag of the Brazilian Air Force Command.svg|alt=The flag of the Brazilian Aeronautics Command|Brazilian Air Force (de facto flag, since 1999)

File:Flag of the Brazilian Navy.svg|alt=The flag of the Brazilian Navy|Brazilian Navy flag

File:Rank flag of Tenente-brigadeiro of Brazilian Air Force.svg|alt=The flag of a Brazilian air force general|Brazilian air force general flag

File:Bandeira_do_Almirante-de-Esquadra.svg|alt=The flag of a Brazilian naval admiral|Brazilian naval admiral flag

File:Bandeira-Insignia do Chefe do Estado-Maior Conjunto das Forças Armadas (Brasil).svg|Flag-insignia of the chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Brazilian Armed Forces.

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Naval jack

The Brazilian naval jack (jaque) is a rectangular flag (ratio 3:4) bearing 21 white stars on a dark blue field – a horizontal row of 13 and a vertical column of 9, orthogonally displayed.

Bandeira do Cruzeiro.svg|Naval jack

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Previous flags

The list below identifies previous flags used in Brazil.

File:Flag of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves (1815-1825).svg|Flag of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves (1816–1822)

File:Flag of the Kingdom of Brazil (1822).svg|Flag of the Brazilian Kingdom (18 September – 1 December 1822)

File:Flag of Brazil (1822-1853).svg|Flag of the Empire of Brazil, first version (1 December 1822 – 29 August 1853)

File:Flag of Brazil (1853-1889).svg|Flag of the Empire of Brazil, second version (30 August 1853 – 15 November 1889)

File:Flag of Brazil 15-19 November.svg|Provisional Flag of Republic of the United States of Brazil (15 – 19 November 1889)

File:Flag of Brazil (1889-1960).svg|First Flag of the United States of Brazil (19 November 1889 - present)

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Rejected flags

The best-known rejected flags are listed below. Several projects were heavily inspired by the green-yellow Imperial Flag, while a black-white-red pattern was also proposed. Those colours would represent the major groups of Brazilian population, red being the natives, white the European settlers and immigrants and black the Africans.

File:Flag-lopes-trovão.svg|Project of Lopes Trovão, 1888. It was raised, when the Republic took place, but has been changed by the similar proposal of Ruy Barbosa.

File:Flag of Brazil (Julio Ribeiro's proposal).svg|Project of Júlio Ribeiro, 1888. Eventually became the flag of the State of São Paulo with the addition of Acre on the map

Flag of Brazil (Deodoro_project).png|Project of Deodoro da Fonseca, 1889

File:Flag of Brazil (Silva Jardim's proposal).svg|Project of Antônio da Silva Jardim, 1890

File:Flag_of_Brazil_(Baron_of_Rio_Branco's_proposal).svg|Project of José Maria da Silva Paranhos, Jr., 1890

File:Flag of Brazil (Valadão project).svg|Project of Oliveira Valadão, 1892

File:Flag of Brazil (Eurico de Góis' proposal, 1908).svg|Project of Eurico de Góis, 1908

File:Flag of Brazil (Wenceslau Escobar's proposal).svg|Project of Wenceslau Escobar, 1908

File:Flag of Brazil (Eurico de Goís' proposal, 1933).svg|Second project of Eurico de Góis, 1933

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References

External links

Bandeira Nacional at the Brazilian Government
Bandeira - Insígnia at the Brazilian Government
Brazil at Flags Corner

History

Colonial Brazil (1500–1815)

United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil, and the Algarves (1815–1822)

Design

Stars and states

Proposed design alterations

Flag protocol

Folding

Flag anthem

Military flags

Naval jack

Previous flags

Rejected flags

See also

References

External links