🇺🇾 The colours of Uruguay

Uruguay’s flag features white and blue stripes for its nine original departments, with a golden Sun of May in the corner symbolising the May Revolution. The colours and sun reflect links to Argentina and the wider struggle for independence in the region.

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

• The flag’s nine stripes stand for Uruguay’s original departments.
• The Sun of May has 16 rays, alternating in shape.
• Blue and white stripes were inspired by Argentina’s flag.
• No official law defines the flag’s colour shades.
• The sun symbolises the May Revolution of 1810.

The colours of the flag of Uruguay

The Uruguayan flag is made up of nine horizontal stripes, alternating white and blue, representing the country’s nine founding departments. In the upper corner sits a white square with a golden Sun of May, which has 16 rays that alternate between triangular and wavy. The sun stands for the May Revolution of 1810, a key event in the region’s path to independence. The blue and white stripes were inspired by Argentina’s flag, and the meaning of the colours is officially tied to the administrative divisions at the time of independence.

How the colours were chosen of Uruguay

Uruguay’s flag traces its roots to early 19th-century independence movements. The first patriotic flags in the region used blue, white, and sometimes red, reflecting influences from Argentina and local struggles. After a period under Brazilian rule, Uruguay adopted its own flag in 1828, initially with 19 stripes, later reduced to nine for clarity. The Sun of May was added to symbolise the May Revolution. During the civil war, different shades of blue were used by rival factions. The sun’s design and the flag’s current form were finalised in 1952.

Official shades and rules of Uruguay

There is no law defining the exact shades of the flag’s colours. The number of stripes was set at nine by statute in 1830, and the sun’s design was officially described in 1952 as a radiant circle with a face and 16 rays. The flag’s proportions and arrangement are fixed, but colour tones may vary in practice.