mobile View, to the German Version tap the flag
- also:
· United States of Central America
· Federal Republic of Central America
- Spanish:
· República Federal de Centroamérica
· Provincias Unidas del Centro de América
· República Federal de Centroamérica
- former Central American Confederation, 1823–1839
- membering states:
– Nicaragua
– Costa Rica
– Honduras
– Guatemala
– El Salvador
– Los Altos
• Flag
• Meaning/Origin of the Flag
• Area Studies
1823–1824,
Flag of the United Provinces of Central Amerika,
ratio = 2:3,
Source, by: Wikipedia (D)
1824–1825,
Flag of the Central American Confederation,
ratio = 2:3,
Source, by: Wikipedia (D)
The flag of the Central American Federation is a blue, white and blue horizontally striped flag with a coat of arms in the centre of the white stripe. It was designed by Manuel José Arce and was created in the course of the anti-Mexican defence campaign and first hoisted in 1822. This flag was adopted on 21st of August in 1823 for the United Provinces of Central America (Central American Confederation). The colours blue-white-blue (Central American colours) were originally used in the struggle for independence against Spain and represent a symbol of solidarity with other South American states, and embody the common will of the members of the federation for freedom and independence. The arrangement of the colours reflects the location of Central America between the two oceans. The shade of blue is disputed, with some sources citing a dark blue and others a light blue. This is problematic. Flags as historical finds are often viewed with the modern eye, and a specific color designation is quickly used. That ignores completely the fact that the light blue is due to washout and bleaching, a property known to Indigo (no other dye was known at that time) until today and also suitably exploited. Like the flag, the national coat of arms of the Central American Federation was introduced on 21st of August in 1823. It shows five volcanoes, representing the five member states of the federation. The triangle symbolises equality, the Phrygian cap freedom, and the rainbow hope. On 22nd of November in 1824, the United Provinces were renamed to "Federal Republic of Central America", and a flag with a coat of arms that had only been changed in a few details was introduced. It was only used until 1st of January in 1825, after which the constituent states (except El Salvador and Honduras) each used their own flags. In the period from the independence of the Central American Confederation from Mexico (1823) until almost the end of the 19th century, the whole of Central America was characterised by constant wars, civil wars and changes of power, so that the respective flag history in some Central American countries can be very confusing.
Source: Wikipedia (ES), Wikipedia (EN), Volker Preuß
Founded in 1535, the Viceroyalty of New Spain was a Spanish colony in Central America and comprised the territories of present-day Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and large parts of the south-east of what is now the USA. New Spain existed until 1822, when it gained independence from Spain under the name of Mexico. The independence efforts of the individual provinces resulted in the creation of the United Provinces of Central America from 1822 to 1823, which were still under the control of Mexico. Full independence from Mexico was achieved with the founding of the United States of Central America in 1823. In 1838 and 1839, however, one state after another declared its independence (Costa Rica 1838, Honduras 1838, Guatemala 1839, El Salvador 1839) and withdrew from the federation. After a coup in Guatemala in 1838, the south-west of Guatemala seceded as the Republic of Los Altos, which became a member of the Central American Federation. However, this country was reoccupied by Guatemala in 1840.
Source: Meyers Konversationslexikon, Wikipedia (ES), Volker Preuß
