---
title: "Flag of Peru: colours and meaning"
description: "What every colour and symbol on the Peru flag stands for, its official 2:3 ratio, and the year the current design was adopted. Plus the flags it gets mistaken for."
url: https://atoneplace.net/flag/peru/
site: "At One Place"
---

# The flag of Peru

**The flag of Peru: Three equal vertical bands of red, white and red.**

Ratio 2:3 · current design adopted 1825

*[Flag drawn on the page: Peru]*

The national flag proper is the plain bicolour without arms; the version with the coat of arms is the state flag and may only be flown by government bodies, a distinction Peruvians observe and foreigners rarely do. The origin story has José de San Martín seeing a flock of red-and-white Chilean flamingos, or parihuanas, take flight at Paracas in 1820; it is charming and undocumented. The coat of arms on the state flag shows a vicuña, a cinchona tree and a cornucopia — a fauna, flora and mineral wealth triad. Confusion with Canada is common in listings, and the maple leaf is the obvious tell.

## Flags it gets confused with

*[Flag drawn on the page: Peru, Canada]*

*Drawn at each flag’s own official ratio, which is itself the difference in some of these pairs.*

| Flag | How to tell them apart |
| --- | --- |
| Canada | Canada has a red maple leaf on a wider white square; Peru's bands are equal thirds. |
| Austria and Latvia | Both are horizontal; Peru's bands are vertical. |

## What the colours mean

*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.*

- **Red** (#D91023) — The blood shed for independence
- **White** (#FFFFFF) — Peace, and the central band

- **Ratio:** 2:3
- **Current design adopted:** 1825
- **Colours:** red, white

## Common questions

### What does the flag of Peru look like?

Three equal vertical bands of red, white and red.

### What do the colours of the Peru flag mean?

Red: the blood shed for independence. White: peace, and the central band.

### How do you tell the Peru flag from the Canada one?

Canada has a red maple leaf on a wider white square; Peru's bands are equal thirds.

### When was the Peru flag adopted?

The current design dates from 1825, and its official ratio is 2:3.

## Related pages

- [Peru](https://atoneplace.net/country/peru/)
- [The flag of Canada](https://atoneplace.net/flag/canada/)
- [Every flag with red in it](https://atoneplace.net/flag/colour/red/)
- [The flag of United States](https://atoneplace.net/flag/united-states/)
- [The flag of United Kingdom](https://atoneplace.net/flag/united-kingdom/)
- [The flag of France](https://atoneplace.net/flag/france/)
- [The flag of China](https://atoneplace.net/flag/china/)
- [The flag of Germany](https://atoneplace.net/flag/germany/)
- [The flag of Russia](https://atoneplace.net/flag/russia/)
- [The flag of Italy](https://atoneplace.net/flag/italy/)
- [The flag of Mexico](https://atoneplace.net/flag/mexico/)

## Sources

- The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency (https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/) [Public domain (US Government)]