The flag of Colombia – in the colours yellow, blue and red and exactly in the today's design – was in 1806 introduced by Francisco de Miranda (1750–1816). The wide yellow stripe should serve at some point in time to pick up a coat of arms or a room-sizing allegory. Since the beginning von the 19th century the flag was used in various some changed designs. For the first time it was in use already in the year 1807 during a campaign of the liberation army against places in the north of Venezuela. The colours yellow, blue and red should symbolize the separation of the country (colour of the country: yellow) from the colonial might of Spain (colour of the country: red) by the ocean (blue). Yellow stands as well for the wealth of the country, for the sunshine and the grain fields. Blue stands for the heaven, the ocean and the rivers, and red symbolizes the for the independence given blood. Ecuador and Venezuela use similar flags, a hint at the once historical unification of the countries Ecuador, Venezuela and Colombia within Great Colombia. The colours of the flag go back to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who had developed his own theory of colors and drew Miranda's attention in Weimar in 1785 with his ideas about colors and their psychological principles of action, and described yellow, blue and red as the colors mainly perceived by humans. Miranda chose yellow, blue and red as colours. It is often assumed that Miranda would have chosen "light blue", which can also be found on some flag representations from this region and time. This is problematic. Flags as historical finds are often viewed with the modern eye, and a specific color designation is quickly used. That ignores completely the fact that the light blue is due to washout and bleaching, a property known to Indigo (no other dye was known at that time) until today and also suitably exploited. 1815 thay decided to continue the struggle against Spain under flags in the colours yellow, green and red. In 1819, the United Provinces of Neugranada (the later Colombia) merged with the provinces of Quito (Ecuador) and Venezuela under the leadership of Simón Bolívar to form the Republic of Great Colombia. On this occasion, the colors yellow, blue and red were revived and taken over for the flag of the country, again with the wide yellow stripe, which now showed an allegory in the upper corner with a sitting Indian. After only one year the coat of arms was changed, the blue shield showed now a Condor and several stars. After one year, in 1821, the coat of arms was changed again. It was now a kind of a cartridge, showing a bundle of lictors and two filler horns and all around the name of the country. It was now placed in the middle of the flag, which now had three equally wide stripes. This flag was retained until the end of Great Colombia in 1830. The country disintegrated into the states of Neugranada, Venezuela and Ecuador after the death of Simón Bolívar. The flag of Great Colombia, however, was commonly used in practice without a coat of arms, the upper corner was supplemented by three blue stars. These stood for the three provinces of Neugranada, Venezuela and Quito. Apparently, this flag was easier to make. The after the separation of Ecuador and Venezuela remaining Colombia now called themselves New Granada, but retained initially the flag of Great Colombia, only the name of the country was changed in the transcription of the coat of arms. This flag was only in use until 1834. Thereafter the colours yellow, blue and red were arranged verticaly, without coat of arms. In occasion of the proclamation of the United States of Colombia in the year 1861 the blue middle-stripe was supplemented for four month by eight white stars which were arranged circularily around a ninth star in the middle. Then was adoped again the flag of 1806 and maintained until today. In its today's design the flag was precisely defined on 26th of November in 1861 by a decision of the president. It shows three horizontal stripes in yellow, blue and red in proportion 2:1:1. The widen yellow stripe should give space again for coats of arms or allegorical depictions, but this was not used until today. If coats of arms or similar things occur, they are placed in the middle of the flag. The colours of the flag today are defined as yellow = Pantone 116, blue = Pantone 287 and red = Pantone 186. The light blue that appears on some flags is assumed to be Pantone 2925. Of course, this does not apply to historical flags, as such standards did not exist at that time. Nevertheless, the modern standards were used for the representation of the historical flags on this website.
The coat of arms of the state is in its fundamental structures from the year 1832, but was again and again – finally in the year 1955 – few changed. It shows on a by flags surrounded shield two cornucopias, a pomegranate and a Phrygian cap, underneath the Isthmus of Panama, which belonged until 1903 to Colombia. The pomegranate remembers the former name of the country "Neugranada". Above the shield a condor, the national bird of the country, and a golden banner with the motto of the state: "Libertad y Orden" → "Freedom and Order"
