The today's design of the flag of Bolivia descents from 1851. The today's variant was introduced on the 14th of July, 1888. It consists of three horizontal stripes, red, yellow and green. Red represents the fauna, yellow the minerals resources, and green the vegetation and agriculture. Red also symbolizes the bravery and valor of the Bolivian soldiers. The colors of the flag go back to the first president of the land, Antonio José de Sucre (1795–1830). He introduced in 1826 a flag with the colors yellow, red and green, which was modeled after the design of the flag of Greater Colombia. In 1851 the new sequence of colors was laid down. It has been maintained until now.
Source: Wikipedia (ES), Translator of the English text: Joachim Nuthack
Today's coat of arms of Bolivia was introduced in 1888, and in substance goes back to the coat of arms of 1825. The number of stars in the coat of arms always varied with the number of departments/provinces. It last showed nine stars. In 1963 the tenth star was added in memory of the department Cobija, which Bolivia lost in the Pacific War (1879–1884) to Chile. The oval blazon shows the mountain of Potosí, it represents the riches of minerals and ores, and a scenery with a alpaca, a sheaf and a palm tree, which represent the abundance of nature. The sun is an Inca symbol, and the condor above the shield symbolizes freedom. The first coat of arms of Bolivia was introduced in 1825 and showed already the elements of the today's coat of arms: the mountain of Potosi, an alpaca, and a palm tree, surrounded by a palm-twig and an oil-twig. Above the shield appeared a Phrygian Cap hold (a symbol of freedom), and two allegorical figures with a banner with the name of the country. The second coat of arms of Bolivia was introduced in 1826 and resembled already the todays coat of arms. The Phrygian Cap was replaced by a Condor in 1851.
The region of the present-day Bolivia was called Upper Peru, Charcas or even Chuquisaca in the Spanish time. In honor of the freedom fighter Simón Bolívar, the in 1825 independent Republic was called "Bolivia" . In the Indian population (Quechua and Aymara), the country is often called "Qullasuyu".
