Flag of Argentina
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The national flag of Argentina dates from 1812. It is composed of three equal horizontal bands colored light blue, white and light blue. Its official proportions are 14:9, and its official size is 1.4 metres by 0.9 metres. In the centre band is an emblem known as "Sol de Mayo" (Sun of May), a golden rising sun.
Popular history says that Manuel Belgrano created the flag to identify his military troops from those of Spain. Belgrano is also credited with the sun emblem. However, there are other theories about the origin of the flag. One of the theories states that the flag had the colors swapped at first (that is, white-blue-white).
There are several folk stories about the colors of the flag. One story says that the blue symbolizes the Río de la Plata (River Plate) and the white symbolizes silver (Argentina comes from the Latin word for silver, Argentum). Another story states that they are the colors of the sky, with white for the clouds. Yet a third story states that the colors were chosen based on those of the House of Bourbon, and a fourth is that the colors are derived from the clothing of the Virgin Mary.
External link
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| List of national coats of arms |
ca:Bandera de l'Argentina de:Flagge Argentiniens es:Bandera de Argentina fr:Drapeau de l'Argentine it:Bandiera Argentina he:דגל ארגנטינה ja:アルゼンチンの国旗 pt:Bandeira da Argentina sv:Argentinas flagga
