The flag of Brazil
Field and colours only. Not shown: a yellow rhombus on green, with a blue celestial globe and 27 stars.
The star field is an astronomically accurate sky, not a decoration: it shows the constellations visible over Rio at 8:30 on the morning the republic was proclaimed, seen from outside the celestial sphere, which is why they appear mirrored. Because each state gets a star, the flag has been redrawn as states were created — most recently in 1992, when it went from 23 stars to 27. Spica, the single star above the motto band, stands for Pará, the only state then north of the equator. The motto is a truncation of Comte's "Love as a principle, order as the basis, progress as the goal", and Brazil is the only country flying a positivist slogan.
What the colours mean
- Green
#009C3BThe forests; historically the House of Braganza - Yellow
#FFDF00Mineral wealth; historically the House of Habsburg - Blue
#002776The sky over Rio de Janeiro on the morning of 15 November 1889 - White
#FFFFFFPeace, and the band bearing the motto
Flag laws usually specify a Pantone chip, a CMYK mix or just a colour name. Converting any of those to sRGB is lossy, which is why published hex values disagree.
The symbols on it
| What | What it stands for |
|---|---|
| 27 stars | The 26 states and the Federal District, each a specific real star |
| ORDEM E PROGRESSO | "Order and Progress", from Auguste Comte's positivist motto |
- Ratio
- 7:10
- Current design adopted
- 1889
- Colours
- green, yellow, blue, white
Common questions
- What does the flag of Brazil look like?
- A green field with a large yellow rhombus, inside which a blue globe carries 27 white stars and a curved white band reading ORDEM E PROGRESSO.
- What do the colours of the Brazil flag mean?
- Green: the forests; historically the House of Braganza. Yellow: mineral wealth; historically the House of Habsburg. Blue: the sky over Rio de Janeiro on the morning of 15 November 1889. White: peace, and the band bearing the motto.
- When was the Brazil flag adopted?
- The current design dates from 1889, and its official ratio is 7:10.
Related pages
- Brazil Capital, area, population and currency
- Every flag with green in it
- The flag of India Ratio 2:3
- The flag of Italy Ratio 2:3
- The flag of Mexico Ratio 4:7
- The flag of Ireland Ratio 1:2
- The flag of South Africa Ratio 2:3
- The flag of Jamaica Ratio 1:2
- The flag of Pakistan Ratio 2:3
- The flag of Palestine Ratio 1:2
Sources
- The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency (Public domain (US Government))