Costa Rica flag

The flag of Spain was the first flag that the Ticos had, which was in force until 1821 when the Central American nations obtain the independence of the Spaniards.

The second Costa Rica flag was three stripes, two celestial up and down respectively and in the center one yellow that supposedly represented the symbol of a "Golden America".

After the accession of Costa Rica to the Central American Confederation from March 4, 1824, the United Provinces of Central America flag was adopted, which was composed of two celestial bands up and down and another strip of white in the center, in the middle of it was the shield of the confederation.

The following Costa Rica flag was the State of Costa Rica that was in force from 1840 to 1842, this flag had the change that the stripes of the beginning and the end were white and the one in the middle was celestial accompanied by the shield of the nation that had been changed again. This flag was used until 1848.

During this time there was also an intense debate about his appearance. In particular, the Liberal Party, which was a supporter of the French Revolution, called for the addition of red, in order to achieve greater similarity with the French tricolor flag.

On November 12, 1848, the issue was finally decided in favor of these three-color variants, as President José María Castro Madriz had to add the central red line and a new coat of arms. This was to be strongly influenced by his wife, who was also a follower of the French Revolution.

Decree 147, dated September 29, 1848, established that the flag would have five horizontal stripes, three colors. The red would be the one chosen like the color of the central strip, where it would be stamped on a white background, the Coat of Arms of the Republic. This is the widest girdle, which is placed between two white, which in turn are placed between two blues.

The current Costa Rican flag, that is to say, the one that is used today, specifically from the year 1906. In her it added the shield of the nation that also is used at the moment, arriving at a point in which has been immortalized the history.

Costa Rica flag colors mean:

It is believed that the colors of the Costa Rican flag represent:

Blue: The sky that covers Costa Rica like a protective mantle, goal of the human being when it looks for the highest ideals and thinks in the eternity.

White: The peace that is lived in Costa Rica and the purity of its ideals.

Red: The energy, courage, and detachment with which Costa Ricans defend their principles and ideals, as their democratic system of life. Also the warmth of the Costa Rican way of being, which extends to the other countries of the world.

The Tricolor Pavilion of Costa Rica was raised for the first time in the main square of San José, now Central Park, on November 12, 1848, during the first administration of Dr. José María Castro Madriz.

By Law No. 18 of November 27, 1906, which article 1 provides:
"The National Pavilion of the Republic will be tricolor and formed by five bands placed horizontally in this order: a red in the center, a white on each side of the red and a blue in the upper and lower end. The white and blue girdles shall be of equal width; the red double width ".

The National Shield Three volcanoes and an extensive valley between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean that border its territory are represented in the center, a merchant vessel, the sun shining to the left and seven stars representing each of the provinces of the nation.

At the top, there is a white ribbon with the name of the Republic, on which there are laurels and another blue ribbon with a bow on which is written "Central America".