Cuban Flag
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national flag A national flag is a flag that represents and national symbol, symbolizes a given nation. It is Fly (flag), flown by the government of that nation, but can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanin ...
of
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
() consists of five alternating stripes (three navy blue and two white) and a cherry red chevron at the hoist, within which is a white five-pointed star. It was designed in 1849 and officially adopted May 20, 1902. The flag is referred to as the ', or the ''Lone Star'' flag. It is in the stars and stripes flag family.


History and symbolism

Fighting against the
Spanish Crown The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country. The Spanish ...
with the rebel armies of
Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
, Narciso López moved from his native
Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...
to
Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
. His involvement in anti-colonial movements forced him into exile. In 1849, he moved to
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, United States, where he continued to advocate for an independent Cuba. The three blue stripes represent the three departments in which Cuba was divided at that time; the white, purity of the patriot cause; and the red triangle, a symbol of strength, constancy, and Mason influences (triangles are Masonic symbols for equality and were found in a number of other flags in the former Spanish empire). The poet Miguel Teurbe Tolón designed the flag alongside Lopez, based upon the story of López's vision. Emilia Teurbe Tolón, Miguel's wife, sewed the first flag, under the guidance and direction of Marta Abreu, the "Patroness of Cuba." López and Tolón, together with José Aniceto Iznaga Borrell, his nephew José María Sánchez Iznaga, Cirilo Villaverde and Juan Manuel Macías, settled upon the final design for the flag of Cuba: two white stripes, three blue, a red triangle, and a lone star. López used this same flag in 1850 to carry out his coup attempt to liberate Cuba from Spanish rule, which resulted in failure. The coastal town of Cárdenas was the first town that saw the lone star flag hoisted on May 19, 1850, in the taking of the city by Cuban rebels. A year after the start of the
Ten Years' War The Ten Years' War (; 1868–1878), also known as the Great War () and the War of '68, was part of Cuba's fight for independence from Spain. The uprising was led by Cuban-born planters and other wealthy natives. On 10 October 1868, sugar mil ...
, the first Constituent Assembly of the Republic of Cuba met arms in
Guáimaro Guáimaro is a town and municipality in the southern part of Camagüey Province in Cuba. It is located between the cities of Camagüey and Las Tunas (city), Las Tunas. History Guáimaro features prominently in Cuban history as the place where in 1 ...
, Camagüey Province. The debate focused on two flags of great symbolism, the Demajagua – which was very similar to the Chilean flag – created by Carlos Manuel de Céspedes to give start to the war of independence, and the Lone Star of López, the latter being chosen since López had taken the first step for the freedom of Cuba. The Demajagua flag was not scrapped, but instead, it was put in the House of Representatives sessions and retained as part of the national treasure. On the morning of May 20, 1902, the day Cuba officially became an independent republic, Generalissimo Máximo Gómez had the honor of hoisting the flag on the flagpole of the castles of the Tres Reyes del Morro, Havana; therefore sealing with this act the end of the Cuban revolution, the end of struggle for Cuban independence, and at the same time justifying the sacrifice that so many offered to make this dream become reality. Both the flag and the coat of arms were designed by Miguel Teurbe Tolón. The design specifications of both were formally established by decree of the first
president of Cuba The president of Cuba (), officially the president of the Republic of Cuba (), is the head of state of Cuba. The office in its current form was established under the Constitution of 2019. The President is the second-highest office in Cuba and ...
, Tomás Estrada Palma, on April 21, 1906. The flag has remained unchanged since then, even during and after the 1959
Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution () was the military and political movement that overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, who had ruled Cuba from 1952 to 1959. The revolution began after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état, in which Batista overthrew ...
, which established the present-day
communist state A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state in which the totality of the power belongs to a party adhering to some form of Marxism–Leninism, a branch of the communist ideology. Marxism–Leninism was ...
of the Republic of Cuba. In 2019, Cuba introduced the "National Symbols Bill". The official press release said the bill "would establish more flexible use of these items with a view toward promoting their greater presence in society, within a legally defined, respectful framework". According to ADN Cuba, the bill states that the flag could be used "as a means of publicity only when the messages that are transferred contribute to fostering and developing patriotic values in people and to form a patriotic conscience of respect and veneration for them and for the historical tradition of the nation". In August 2019, artists from the San Isidro Movement launched a campaign using the
hashtag A hashtag is a metadata tag operator that is prefaced by the hash symbol, ''#''. On social media, hashtags are used on microblogging and photo-sharing services–especially Twitter and Tumblr–as a form of user-generated tagging that enable ...
"#" to protest against restrictions placed on the use of the Cuban flag by the Cuban government and the arrest of artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara under the new law.


Subsequent use

In April 1869, López's flag was designated the national banner by the Congress of the Republic of Cuba. López's flag was the model for the
flag of Puerto Rico The flag of Puerto Rico (), officially the Flag of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (), represents Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans, its people. It consists of five equal horizontal stripes, alternating from red to white, with a blue equilateral t ...
adopted in 1895 by the Revolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico, a pro-independence group that worked under the auspices of the Cuban Revolutionary Party. After the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
seized Cuba from Spain during the
Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...
, the U.S. flag flew from January 1, 1899, until independence was granted. On May 20, 1902, the Cuban national flag was hoisted as a symbol of independence and sovereignty. It has been used ever since, remaining unchanged even after the Cuban Revolution of 1959. During the revolution, Cuban president
Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban politician and revolutionary who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and President of Cuba, president ...
's 26th of July Movement created a party flag equally divided in red and black like the Angolan national flag usually in horizontal stripes and often with inscriptions, which is often flown on public buildings.


Specifications

The Cuban flag is at a length-to-width ratio of 2:1. It is made up of 5 alternating horizontal stripes, three blue and two white. These blue and white stripes are of equal width. The color of blue is specifically turquiose. The red chevron is in the shape of an equilateral triangle. The star within the chevron has a diameter that is the length of the hoist. Its middle is halfway up the flag.


Historical versions of the flag

File:Flag of Cross of Burgundy.svg, Flag of Cross of Burgundy (1521–1843) File:Flag of Spain (1785–1873, 1875–1931).svg, Flag of
Spanish America Spanish America refers to the Spanish territories in the Americas during the Spanish colonization of the Americas. The term "Spanish America" was specifically used during the territories' Spanish Empire, imperial era between 15th and 19th centur ...
(1843–1873; 1874–1898) File:Flag of the First Spanish Republic.svg, Flag of First Spanish Republic (1873–1874) File:Céspedes flag.svg, Céspedes flag of
Ten Years' War The Ten Years' War (; 1868–1878), also known as the Great War () and the War of '68, was part of Cuba's fight for independence from Spain. The uprising was led by Cuban-born planters and other wealthy natives. On 10 October 1868, sugar mil ...
(1868–1878) File:Flag of the Prime Minister of Cuba.svg, Standard of the
prime minister of Cuba The prime minister of Cuba (), officially known as the president of the Council of Ministers () between 1976 and 2019, is the head of government of Cuba and the chairman of the Council of Ministers (cabinet). The prime minister is the third-hi ...
(1959–1976)


See also

* List of Cuban flags * Coat of arms of Cuba * Cuban trogon, national bird of Cuba


References


External links

*
Cuba Flags
€”A historical insight into the flag and emblems of Cuba
The Flag of Cuba
on flagscorner.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Flag Of Cuba 1848 introductions Flags with blue, red and white
Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
National symbols of Cuba