Flag of Brazil

Meaning and history of the flag of Brazil

The flag of Brazil has a green field with a large yellow rhombus at its center, within which sits a dark blue globe crossed by a curved white band bearing the positivist motto 'Ordem e Progresso' (Order and Progress). Spread across the blue globe are twenty-seven white stars of varying sizes, representing the country's twenty-six states and the Federal District of Brasília.

The stars are arranged to match the position of the constellations as seen from Rio de Janeiro on the night of November 15, 1889, the date the Republic was proclaimed. The constellations depicted include the Southern Cross, Scorpius, Canis Major, and others. Each star corresponds to a specific state, and the only star appearing above the white band is Spica, representing the state of Pará. The motto 'Ordem e Progresso' draws on the positivist philosophy of Auguste Comte, highly influential among the founders of the Brazilian Republic.

Green and yellow were originally associated with the House of Braganza (green) and the House of Habsburg (yellow), the dynasties of Emperor Pedro I and his wife, Leopoldina. The flag was designed by Raimundo Teixeira Mendes and adopted on November 19, 1889, four days after the Republic was proclaimed. It is one of the most complex and elaborate flags in the world, and the only national flag to depict an astronomically accurate sky.

You can view the flag of Brazil in high resolution above and download it in several sizes for personal, educational or reference use. To explore more, visit the full Brazil profile, its map, or the current local time in Brasília.