Flag of El Salvador

Meaning and history of the flag of El Salvador

El Salvador's flag consists of three horizontal stripes, blue at the top and bottom with white in the center. Its official version bears the national coat of arms at the center of the white stripe. The design was adopted on May 17, 1912, though its origins trace back to the flag of the United Provinces of Central America from 1823.

The blue stripes represent the two oceans bordering Central America, the Pacific and the Atlantic. The white stripe symbolizes peace and concord. The coat of arms shows an equilateral triangle representing equality, within which five volcanoes rise from the sea symbolizing the five Central American nations, along with a Phrygian cap of liberty, a rainbow, and the date September 15, 1821, the region's independence day.

El Salvador's flag closely resembles those of Honduras, Nicaragua, and Guatemala, all descendants of the original Central American flag, differing mainly in the specific shade of cobalt blue and in the details of the coat of arms. Like Argentina, it pairs blue and white, and this is no coincidence: Manuel José Arce drew on Argentina's flag when designing the Central American banner.

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