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Ecuador

República del Ecuador, Republic of Ecuador

(1:2)
by T.F. Mills, 11 December 1997

Official Name: Republic of Ecuador (República del Ecuador)
Capital: Quito
Location: South America
Government Type: Republic
Flag adopted: 26 September 1860
Coat of Arms adopted: 5 December 1900
ISO Code: EC

Overview
Civil Flag
Military Colours
Ecuatorian UFE

See also:

Overview

I just returned from a trip to Ecuador, and I made a few flag observations while I was there. When I arrived in November there was little evidence of flags except over government buildings. But during the week of the Quito Fiesta the Ecuadoran and Quito flags appeared on just about every storefront, balcony, window and chimney pot. The fiesta celebrates the re-founding of Quito on 6 Dec. 1534 by Spanish General Benalcazar. Quito had pre-existed for some 4000 years, but Inca general Ruminahui had evactuated and razed the city a few days earlier.
Below is the Ecuadoran flag with no coat of arms (see: Civil Flag). This flag differs from Colombia's only in its proportions (which means they cannot be differentiated unless they are side by side and correctly manufactured.) I assume this is the civil flag. Almost all the Ecuadoran flags on display were incorrectly proportioned and showed the national coat of arms (which I assume to be the state flag version). The relative size of the coa varied from about half the height to almost the full height of the field. I assume the people feel the need to include the coa to differentiate their flag from neighboring Colombia's, even if it is not strictly correct to do so.

The colours of the Ecuadoran flag are said to represent:

Red = the blood shed by the soldiers and martyrs of the independence battles.
Blue = the color of the sea and sky.
Yellow = the abundance and fertility of the crops and land.

The flags of Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela are almost identical because at independence in 1822 they formed a confederation (Gran Colombia). They parted ways in 1830, but retained the same essential flag whose inspiration and design is attributed to freedom fighter General Francisco Miranda.
TF Mills, 11 December 1997

The Ecuatorian flag is very similar to the Venezuelan and the Colombian Flag. This happens because these three nations (under the names of Guayaquil, Venezuela and Nueva Granada) formed, back in the 1820s, the Great Colombia Republic (GCR), and then adopted the Mirandinian-Venezuelan tricolori. The ratio of this flag, however, differs from its sister flags: it's 1:2, whereas the Colombian and Venezuelan flags are 2:3. The civil flag wears only the tricolori, the state flag, as happens with Colombia and Venezuela, also sports the country's Coat of Arms. In 1860, Ecuador adopted the flag we know today.
The symbolism of the flag is analogous to those of Colombia and Venezuela ; being as follows:
Yellow, for the riches of the land and the warmth of the sun.
Blue, for the seas and sky which divide us form our motherland, Spain; and, Red, for the blood shed by the patrotical soldiers and martyrs of the independence wars.
Guillermo Aveledo, 8 October 1999

On September 26, 1860, Gabriel Garcia Moreno, Supreme Chief of Government, decreed the flag change to its present (and ancient) colours, adopting the ratio 1:2 which differentiates Ecuador flag to that of Colombia (which would adopt the same distribution of its tricolori the following year).
Guillermo Aveledo, 9 October 1999

I´m from Ecuador, and it seems that you got there two versions of the ecuadorian flag, one as the "civilian flag", the other as the "state flag". But there is no such thing as a civilian flag. The thing is that here it is very common for people that make their own flag to "pass" the coat of arms, because of its difficulty. But there is only one flag, and it is the one with the coat of arms. It is really a mistake that people forget to put on their flag the coat of arms, but they dont really give it that much of importance, because when celebrating a national day, and showing one´s patriotism, everything counts!!!
Carlos, 21 March 2000

Every publication seems to use a different eagle. at "Nouveau Petit Larousse Illustre" (1924) it is flying up looking towards the fly, but I'm sure I've seen flying up looking towards the hoist, and floating looking towards the hoist as well.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 29 October 2000

According to Abum 2000 [pay00] , the plain Civil Flag of Ecuador, do not exist officially.
Jan Zrzavy, 14 January 2001

In Ecuador the civil flag and civil ensign is without arms, possibly no one cares about private use of flag with Coat of Arms. On <www.explored.com.ec> you find a link to the national flag, where the state flag (with Coat of Arms) is illustrated, but the text "Nacional del Ecuador" discribes the plain tricolored flag. Although the text mentiones the decree of 1900 it does not say anything about later changes. I do not believe that the civil ensign is with Coat of Arms as this might lead to confusion with the Colombian civil ensign, which is the same flag with a badge in the center. I think the flag with Coat of Arms is preferred in articles, maps etc. to distinguish it from the flag of Colombia, but the official civil flag is without Coat of Arms.
Ralf Stelter, 16 January 2001 and 25 Febuary 2001

According to Abum 2000 [pay00] - National Flag (CSW/CS- (1:2)) - Note explains that private citizens sometimes fly unofficial flag without Coat of Arms. It seems to me that the distinction in usage between the flag with Coat of Arms and that one without is not quite clear, and would require more investigation. The original edition of Albium 2000 have here the Coat of Arms that is greatly oversized, and as Armand explained, it should be made smaller, with hieght equal to 1/2 hoist size. Interesting, previous edition of Album has it right.
Željko Heimer, 1 August 2001

The Flaggenbuch (1939-41) section dedicated to Ecuador captioned it as "State ensign, used as standard of the State President, war ensign, jack of the warships, ceremonial ensign, service ensign inside the country and abroad."
Ivan Sache, 2 August 2001

While it appears that the tendency has become (similar to Spain and Argentina) to use the flag with the arms on land (both inside and especially outside the nation), this does not necessarily mean that Ecuadorian merchant ships automatically wear the flag with the arms. The few Ecuadorian merchantmen I have seen (visiting Houston TX, USA) wore the plain tricolor; While the role as "civil flag" may be fading, I wonder whether the established role as "civil ensign" should be discounted, unless legislation specifically abolishes the longstanding practice at sea.
James T. Liston, 25 November 2001

Today I saw on TV, part of ceremony of assumption of the new president of the Republic of Ecuador. As you can imagine, I observed in detail the Ecuadorian National flag and presidential band. From that observation I can comment two things:
- the shade of blue of the Ecuadorian flag (and the presidential band too) is darker than the blue one on the flags of Venezuela and Colombia. Generally, as much in books of international Vexillology or Web Pages usually shows the three flags (Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador) with similar shades of such colors, but the "Ecuadorian blue" is very dark (nearer to the shade of blue called "turqui"). That's saw clearly today.
- Another thing which taked my attention was the Ecuadorian presidential band, something distant of the design usually followed on Latin American presidential bands (to almost reproduce exactly the disposition of the flag, with the National Coat of Arms on the center). The Ecuadorian band apparently is formed by three equal strips (reproducing the Miranda's flag of three strips of equal wide like in Venezuela), difference it from the Ecuadorian Flag which has the yellow stripe with double wide, like in Colombia. Another detail which interested to me was that in addition to the Coat of Arms the band has embroidering along the text: "MI PODER" ("MY POWER") (embroidered shield)"EN LA CONSTITUCIÖN" ("IN THE CONSTITUTION").
Francisco Gregoric (translated by Raul Orta), 15 January 2003

Dean McGee wrote: "Interesting, in English, "turquoise" is usually a light, greenish blue."
As I reported, the Ecuadorian Blue looks darker than the Venezuelan and Colombian blue. You can see the Presidential Band of Ecuador at the CNN en Español Homepage: at <cnnenespanol.com>. The "turqui" blue for us is a blue with a little black. In Argentina it was used by Federalists in the XIXth Century instead of the "Celeste" or Sky blue in the Argentine Flag. I think that the colour you call "turquoise" is the colour we call "turquesa" in Spanish (light, greenish blue). Turquesa is also the name of a greenish blue mineral very common in Mexico and south of the USA used for jewelry For Spanish speakers "turquí" is a dark shadow of blue.
Francisco Gregoric, 17 January 2003

"Civil" Flag

by António Martins, 22 April 1999

The plain tricolour certainly does legally exist (whether or not anybody bothers to fly it) by the Law of 5 December 1900 (as published in 'Registro Oficial' No.1272).
Christopher Southworth, 19 August 2004

Military Colours

Ecuadorian army units carry the national flag (bandera nacional) in an approximately square format with the national coat of arms embroidered on the center and with the unit designation in an arc of gold letters above the coat of arms and in a straight line below it; gold fringe. The finial is a gilt condor with wings spread. The cravat is red with gold fringe and the flag is tied to the staff with yellow cords.
Source: pictures at <www.fuerzasarmadasecuador.org>.
In addition, photographs show other flags, apparently unit flags, of various designs being carried in troop formations. See <www.fuerzasarmadasecuador.org>.
Joe McMillan, 1 March 2002

Ecuatorian UFE

by Santiago Dotor, 26 January 2001

Yesterday the Spanish Undersecretary for Immigration travelled to Ecuador to negotiate an agreement on the immigrants' quota. Images on TV showed crowds of people waving small plastic flags. Some looked handmade, others more or less industry manufactured. There were of course many mistaken variants, for instance the Spanish flag was shown with stripes of equal width, the Ecuatorian flag with the stripes in reverse order, also in mistaken order.
However there was one flag, apparently a variant of the Ecuatorian one, which struck me particularly. Firstly because it had too many differences with the national flag, secondly because many people were displaying exactly the same flag, thirdly because it did not look like being homemade but printed on plastic.
It was a triband of light green, yellow, red, in proportions 2+1+1. It does not seem to appear in any of the Ecuatorian flags' pages in FOTW.
Santiago Dotor, 26 January 2001

Could that be a version of the State Flag of El Oro, without the national flag at the canton?
Miles Li, 26 January 2001

Well, it could, but... it looks more like a coincidence. To start with, El Oro is quite far away from Quito (the Ecuatorian capital) to drive so many demostrators over there. Secondly, the flag mentioned by Miles Li appears under the heading "Previously reported two WRONG flags" and with a footnote "by Željko Heimer, 15 July 1996 (flag according to W.Smith (insecure))". Thirdly, it certainly has a canton which the flags I saw lacked. Fourthly, the shade of green was much lighter in those flags.
Santiago Dotor, 26 January 2001

I saw that flag too for a few seconds, but to me it seems as 2:1:2.
At <dailynews.yahoo.com> there is a image is related with the one reported by Santiago. It seems to be a bolivian flag (caption say Ecuadorian flag bust is clearly wrong). Perhaps people from Bolivia is between the imigrants. I agree with Santiago, the yellow stripe in the flag seen was narrower
Jaume Ollé, 26 January 2001

No, I could see it for longer period and it was definitely 2:1:1. No doubt about that point, nor about the (light) shade of green. That flag at <dailynews.yahoo.com> is probably nothing to do with the one I spotted. It is being flown by South American immigrants in Spain, so it might be any South American flag, and most probably it is Bolivian immigrants who appear in the picture.
The flags I spotted were being flown at the Ecuatorian capital (Quito), by many people (all waving the same flag, all new, manufactured flags) welcoming (or perhaps demonstrating against!) the Spanish Undersecretary for Immigration. And the colours showed regular shades for both red and yellow, but a very bright green.
Santiago Dotor, 29 January 2001