The flag of Santander, the main official symbol of this department of the Republic of Colombia, was adopted in 1972 by decree 579. The territory that today is known as Santander is the product of various historical events.
In 1857 the law of May 13 allowed the creation of the state of Santander. In 1886, after many political-territorial modifications, the department of Santander was formed.
Subsequently, through Law 25 of 1910, Cúcuta, Ocaña and Pamplona were segregated.
Currently, the flag of Santander represents eight nuclei of provincial development, which were configured around common elements.
For this current conformation, environmental, economic, socio-cultural, political-administrative and urban-regional aspects were taken into account.
You may also be interested in the Santander shield.
History
The decree by which the flag of Santander was adopted and created was signed by the then governor of the entity, Jaime Trillos Novoa (1935-2014).
In article 2 of Decree 579 of 1972 the details of this official insignia are specified. Since then it has been part of the institutional image of the departmental administration; For this reason, it must always be present at formal acts.
Like many modern flags, Santander is rectangular in heraldic green. The ratio of width to length is 2: 3.
On the left there is a vertical bar of gules (bright red) that occupies a quarter of the surface. Originally, six white stars were arranged on the bar, one below the other.
In the middle of the main field there is a horizontal gold colored strip covering a quarter of the surface. On that strip is a thick (black) saber bar.
In 2005, decree number 00304, dated December 6, introduced a political-administrative change in the department. Until that moment there were 87 municipalities grouped into six provinces.
With this modification the provinces changed their name to nuclei of provincial development. In addition, this decree allowed the restructuring of the municipalities, giving way to two new nuclei: Metropolitano and Carare Opón.
In 2006, through decree number 254, the addition of two new stars is ordered.
On the occasion of the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the political and administrative life of the department of Santander, its governor presented this outstanding symbol to the Colombian Academy of History.
Meaning
The six white stars of the flag of Santander represented the six provinces that originally made up this entity.
These provinces were Comunero, García Rovira, Guanentá, Mares, Soto Norte and Vélez. After the territorial reorganization and the change of name, the two added stars represent the Metropolitan and Carare Opón provincial development nuclei.
With regard to colors, red refers to the nobility and heroism of the Santander martyrs.
The sinople (green) symbolizes the loyalty, perseverance and hope of the inhabitants of this land, who have worked the land, helping to fertilize and enhance it.
On the other hand, its natural wealth (oil and gold resources) are represented by the black and gold stripes.
References
- Acevedo Linares, A. (2013, September 18). Santander and its history. Retrieved on November 16, 2017, from las2orillas.co
- Santander Department. (s / f). Labateca Municipality. Retrieved on November 16, 2017, from Municipiolabateca.jimdo.com
- Mayor of Bucaramanga (2017, March). Previous studies and documents. Administrative secretary. Retrieved on November 16, 2017, from bucaramanga.gov.co
- Decree No. 00304. Government of Santander, Republic of Colombia, December 6, 2006. Retrieved on November 16, 2017, from Ciudadaniadesdeelaula.com
- Santander opens provinces. (2005, December 07). In the time. Retrieved on November 16, 2017, from eltiempo.com
- Horváth, Z. (2014, May 29). Santander Department (Colombia). Retrieved on November 16, 2017, from crwflags.com
- Santander flag has eight stars. (2007, May 08). Notes Bucaramanga. Retrieved on November 16, 2017, denotasbucaramanga.blogspot.com