History
After the territory of Ecuador was conquered by Sebastián de Benalcázar, the emblems of the Spanish Empire flew over the newly founded city of Quito.
The first calls for independence from the Spanish crown came on August 10, 1809; a plain red flag was flown by the rebels. The independence movement was defeated in November 1812 at the hands of Spanish officer Juan Sámano. On October 9, 1820, a new flag, a blue and white bicolour, with five horizontal alternating stripes, and three white stars in the middle stripe, was raised for the first time. The three stars represent Guayaquil, Portoviejo and Machala. This flag was later adopted by the Guayas Province.
Gabriel García Moreno, upon assuming power two days after the Battle of Guayaquil in September 1860, the yellow, blue and red triband was returned to use; its reinstatement on September 26 is commemorated during Ecuador's national flag day. Previously, a vertical white, blue and white flag was used. In the middle of the blue stripe, there were white stars placed to signify the number of provinces in Ecuador. The highest star total was seven before this flag was abandoned. In 1900, the flag was made the definitive national standard, and was charged with the coat of arms for official national government use while the plain flag was reserved for the merchant marine.
| Evolution of the Ecuadorian Flag | ||
| Spanish Colonial Flag 1534-1820 |
The Cross of Burgundy flag of the Spanish colonial empire flew over Ecuador for many years. | |
| Flag of the Quiteñan Revolution 1809-1812 |
The leaders of a rebellion against the Spanish authorities raised a reversed Cross of Burgundy flag in Quito on August 10, 1809. The uprising was defeated in 1812. | |
| First National Flag 1820-1822 |
A flag with five horizontal stripes and three stars in the middle stripe. This flag subsequently became that of the Guayas Province, and was first raised by the patriots in the liberation of October 9, 1820. | |
| Second National Flag 1822 |
The previous flag was changed by decree of 2 June 1822: "The flag of the free province of Guayaquil shall be white and its first quarter blue with a centered star." | |
| Third National Flag 1822-1830 |
Ecuador was subsumed into Gran Colombia, during which time the Colombian horizontal tricolour became definitive. Although Ecuador seceded from that union in 1830, the flag was retained until 1845. | |
| Fourth National Flag 1830-1835 |
Provisional flag of the State of Ecuador, decreed on November 19, 1830. | |
| Fifth National Flag 1835-1845 |
First flag used officially by Ecuador after its separation from Gran Colombia. | |
| Sixth National Flag 1845 |
During the 1845 Marcist Revolution the pale blue and white colours return, but as a vertical tricolour of white, blue, white, with three white stars in the central stripe. | |
| Seventh National Flag 1845-1860 |
The Cuenca Convention ratified, by decree of 6 November 1845, a change to a deeper blue, and the increase in the number of stars to seven "as symbols of the seven provinces which make up the Republic". | |
| Eighth National Flag 1860–present |
Gabriel García Moreno, upon assuming power two days after the Battle of Guayaquil, reinstated the tricolor flag of Greater Colombia on September 26, 1860. In 1900, the flag was made the definitive national standard, and the coat of arms was added for official state use. The plain flag was established as the merchant ensign in 1900. | |
Read more about this topic: Flag Of Ecuador
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