🇵🇾 The colours of Paraguay

Paraguay’s flag features red, white, and blue stripes, inspired by the French Tricolour to represent independence and liberty. The flag is unique for having a different emblem on each side: the national seal on the front and the treasury seal on the back. The colours have been used in various forms since the early 19th century.

Where no official value is given, the swatch shows the colour family, not the exact shade.

• Paraguay’s flag is different on each side.
• Red, white, and blue were chosen to show independence and liberty.
• The obverse has a star in a green wreath; the reverse, a lion and red cap.
• The flag’s colours must be pure primary shades by law.
• The design was standardised in 2013 to match 19th-century forms.

The colours of the flag of Paraguay

Paraguay’s flag is a horizontal tricolour of red, white, and blue. These colours were chosen to echo the French Tricolour, symbolising independence and liberty, though this meaning is believed rather than officially stated. The flag is unusual because its front and back differ: the obverse shows the national seal, featuring a yellow star within a green wreath, while the reverse displays the treasury seal, with a yellow lion and a red Phrygian cap. The emblems add further meaning, with the star representing independence and the lion symbolising courage.

How the colours were chosen of Paraguay

Paraguay’s earliest flags drew on Spanish colours, but the first local flag in 1811 was blue with a white star, linked to Our Lady of the Assumption. Soon after, officials experimented with green, white, and blue stripes, and then blue, yellow, and red, reflecting both local and Spanish influences. In 1812, the red, white, and blue tricolour appeared, inspired by the French flag. Over time, the flag’s proportions and emblems changed, with the current design set in 1842. The seal was simplified in 2013 to resemble its 19th-century form.

Official shades and rules of Paraguay

The 2013 law states that the red and blue stripes must be primary colours, meaning pure and unmixed, but does not specify exact shades. The flag’s ratio is 11:20. The colours of the seal are set by a government decree. The flag is the only national flag with different designs on each side.