FLAG OF NICARAGUA: HISTORY AND MEANING - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The flag of Nicaragua is the current banner of this nation located on the Central American isthmus. The flag features two bluish stripes with a white stripe in the middle, and the coat of arms of the republic right in the center of the central stripe. All stripes on the flag share the same dimensions.

It was created in 1908, but it became official more than half a century later, in 1971. It is quite similar to that of other Central American nations such as El Salvador and Honduras as a consequence of the similarities in the creation process of these countries.

The shield of the flag is the most characteristic that it has, being the key to be differentiated from other insignia. As a curiosity, since the shield has a rainbow, it incorporates the color purple. There are only two countries in the world that include that color on their shield: Dominica and Nicaragua itself.

History

First Mexican Empire (1822-1823)

Shortly after Mexico became independent in 1821 and Agustín de Iturbide declared himself First Emperor of Mexico (thus creating the First Mexican Empire), Guatemala followed in his footsteps and dissociated himself from the interests of the Spanish Crown. In fact, the claims of the Guatemalans were so similar to those of the Mexicans, that Guatemala decided to join the Empire.

Shortly after, in 1822, Nicaragua and Costa Rica ceased to be Spanish provinces and declared their independence as autonomous nations.

It should be noted that Guatemala was one of the main countries in administrative terms for Central America at the time, and the Guatemalan government supported the independence actions in the region. The territory of Nicaragua, in fact, was part of the province of Guatemala during the Spanish government.

Thanks to the common interests that Guatemalans, Mexicans, and the rest of the now independent countries of Central America had, many of them were annexed to the First Mexican Empire. In 1822, an agreement was reached for the territories of Guatemala to become part of the Mexican Empire.

The first flag of Nicaragua was, therefore, the flag of the First Mexican Empire led by Agustín de Iturbide.

United Provinces of Central America (1823-1824)

The first flag that Nicaragua possessed as a nation outside the Empire was created in 1823 along with other countries in the region.

The provinces of the Central American zone were under the rule of the Spanish Crown throughout the 19th century, but by 1821, most of the Central American nations had already declared their independence, which they planned to maintain even after the fall of the Mexican Empire..

As a consequence of this, the United Provinces of Central America were created, a nation made up of 5 Central American countries that acted independently of the Spanish Crown and with an autonomous level of sovereignty. A flag quite similar to the one that Nicaraguans use today was adopted.

The United Provinces of Central America were made up of Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Honduras.

Federal Republic of Central America (1824-1839)

In 1824, the United Provinces of Central America held a Constituent Assembly to reshape their union. That year, the creation of the Federal Republic of Central America was declared, which was made up of the same five nations that formed the United Provinces.

The capital of the Republic was located in Guatemala City, where the powers of the great nation acted for most of its short existence, although the capital moved on a couple of occasions to other territories.

Nicaragua remained a fundamental part of the Federal Republic of Central America throughout its existence and until the moment of its separation. The flag consisted of the same colors as that of the United Provinces, but the shield changed its shape and had the name of the Republic written around it.

Flag of the Directory Period (1838-1854)

In 1838, Nicaragua officially separated from the Federal Republic of Central America and the country's independence was declared. Therefore, a government independent from that of the federation was established.

On November 12, Nicaragua created its first constitution as an autonomous nation, and although the same blue and white flag of the federation was used for a long time, the country adopted a couple of flags used in different instances.

It should be noted that Nicaragua remained in a constant period of war during the Directory Period. This stage is, to this day, one of the most chaotic that the Nicaraguan nation has experienced in its history. In fact, Salvadorans and Hondurans invaded the country on several occasions during the 15 years that made up this period.

The new flags that Nicaragua adopted were quite similar. The only variation that the second had was the incorporation of the text “República de Nicaragua” in its central strip, being used mainly by the navy.

Both flags were in force until 1858, even after the establishment of the Republic and the creation of an official flag (which was similar to these two).

Flag of the Republic of Nicaragua (1854-1858)

Although for a time Nicaragua kept the blue flag of the Central American states officially, shortly after the establishment of the Republic of Nicaragua it adopted the yellow, white and mother-of-pearl flag as the country's official flag.

In 1855, it was the country's assembly that declared powers to elect the first president of Nicaragua.

General Fruto Chamorro Pérez was elected temporary president of the Republic while the next presidential term was reached, in which the next presidential term would be elected more formally. The general, however, had Nicaragua officially adopt this tricolor flag.

The volcanoes that were previously present on its shield, which represented the five states that made up the United Provinces and the Federal Republic of Central America, were no longer present on this new flag.

On the contrary, the new coat of arms, by federal decree, would only have one volcano in its entirety. This represented the independence of Nicaragua and its autonomy with respect to the rest of the countries of the region.

Flags of Nicaragua during the conservative period (1858-1893)

After the end of the Nicaraguan National War, which led to the seizure of power by filibuster troops and the military union of Central American countries to expel these troops from Nicaragua, Nicaraguans entered a period that was marked by the government dominance of the conservatives.

Although the conservative period in Nicaraguan history has been the longest democratic period in the country, it was also marked by conflicts and internal wars over political decisions. This period began in 1858, after the binary government that was present after the Nicaraguan National War was dissolved.

In 1859 Tomás Martínez came to power, democratically. His presidency was to last from 1859 to 1863 without the right to reelection as stipulated in the 1858 Constitution. However, Martínez ignored the country's rules and chose to be relegated president after the end of his term. This caused, again, armed conflicts in the country.

Martínez and his army managed to put a stop to the insurgent movements, and the government remained on its feet until the end of his second term.

Nicaragua maintained the same blue and white flag throughout the conservative period, although the country again entered into internal disputes and a new civil war was even unleashed. All the presidents of Nicaragua in this period were conservative. The stage ended in 1893 with Zelaya's liberal revolution.

However, for a brief period, Nicaragua adopted a flag quite similar to that of Costa Rica. This flag was reversed after Zelaya came to power, but it was in force for just under half a decade.

Flags of Nicaragua after Zelaya's Liberal Revolution (1893-1908)

José Santos Zelaya carried out a revolution in Nicaragua to put a stop to the conservative government that had already taken control of the country for more than thirty years. Nicaragua's progress had stalled under the dominance of the conservatives and the nation was lagging behind in time in terms of technological advancement.

Zelaya's revolution was successful, and he took control of the Nicaraguan government himself. The Zelaya government represented one of the most prosperous stages in the country's history, and as president, he reinstated the flag with two blue stripes and the white stripe in the middle that represented the Central American nations of the region.

The Zelaya government was marked by technological and social advances. He ruled in a dictatorial manner, but the country benefited greatly from the actions he carried out. In fact, Zelaya is considered to have made Nicaragua the richest nation in Central America during his rule.

Nicaragua was part, for a brief period of time, of a new Central American confederation. Zelaya wanted to unite the countries in a new confederation, as had been done half a century ago, but the success of his proposal was brief. Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras formed a small confederation, of whose flag there is no record.

The first flag that Zelaya's Nicaragua adopted was with the two blue stripes of a darker tone, while the second had the stripes of a lighter tone and the coat of arms once again featured the five volcanoes found in the previous flags.

Flag of the Republic of Nicaragua (1908-1971)

One of the last actions that Zelaya managed to take before being overthrown was the creation of the new Nicaraguan flag, which was in force for more than 50 years after the fall of the president.

As expected of a man like Zelaya, who always sought the creation of a Central American confederation, the country's new flag incorporated the 5 volcanoes that represented the five nations that made up the old federation.

In addition, the new coat of arms of the Republic had the name of the country (Republic of Nicaragua) written around it and, in its lower part, it had the inscription of “Central America”. The use of this flag was not made official for several years.

Interestingly, the current size of the flag was never determined, leading to it being printed and woven in different sizes throughout its history. This did not change until 1971, when the country's current flag was officially implemented.

Current flag of Nicaragua (1971- present)

The current flag of Nicaragua is identical to the one that was in force until 1971, with the only difference being the modernization of the coat of arms. However, the writing of the shield and the drawing that it presents in its internal part continues to be the same as that of the flag created by Zelaya.

It is based, like the original flag of the United Provinces, on that of the United Provinces of Río de la Plata, what is now Argentina. This is why the flags of Central America and Argentina have such a level of similarity.

As in 1971 the existence of the flag was officially formalized, Flag Day was also decreed as a national date in Nicaragua.

Meaning

The five volcanoes on the flag's coat of arms represent the five nations that made up the Central American federation in the early 19th century.

The blue color of the flag represents the bodies of water that surround the country, both oceans and the nation's largest lakes. The shield is based on the same shield of the United Provinces of Central America.

In addition, the blue also represents strength, brotherhood, the sky that covers the plains of Nicaragua, strength and courage. The white stripe, on the other hand, symbolizes peace and integrity as fundamental principles of Nicaragua. It also represents purity, equality, and the entire nation.

References

1. What Do The Colors And Symbols Of The Flag Of Nicaragua Mean ?, World Atlas, 2019. Taken from worldatlas.com
2. Flag of Nicaragua, Flagpedia, 2019. Taken from flagpedia.net
3. Flag of Nicaragua, Nicaragua Official Website, 2019. Taken from Nicaragua.com
4. Flag of Nicaragua, Wikipedia, 2019. Taken from Wikipedia.org
5. History of Nicaragua, Wikipedia, 2019. Taken from Wikipedia.org