Paraguay Flag

Description

The Paraguay flag is available from Flags Online in full-size and desk formats, printed on both sides and made to last outdoors.

About the Paraguay Flag

The Paraguay flag is the only national flag in use today with two different designs printed back to back, so that the obverse and reverse do not mirror each other. Beneath that unusual feature sits a straightforward horizontal tricolour of red, white and blue, arranged in equal bands. The tricolour dates back to the country’s independence period in the early nineteenth century, while the dual emblem in the centre reflects a quirk of Paraguayan administration that has never been dropped.

Colours and Symbolism

Red, white and blue were adopted under the influence of the French tricolour, a common reference point for newly independent republics in the Americas during the nineteenth century, and are generally understood to stand for independence and liberty. What sets the flag apart is the centre: on the front, the national coat of arms shows a yellow five-pointed star ringed by a wreath of palm and olive leaves, with the words “REPÚBLICA DEL PARAGUAY” around it. On the back sits the Treasury seal instead, a yellow lion beneath a red cap, with the motto “Paz y Justicia” – peace and justice – underneath. The lion and cap trace back to the country’s early republican government, while the star on the front stands for the nation itself.

History of the Paraguay Flag

The Paraguay flag was formally unified in its tricolour form on 25 November 1842, under the joint rule of Carlos Antonio López and Mariano Roque Alonso, though red, white and blue had been in use in various arrangements since independence from Spain three decades earlier. The practice of using two different emblems on the front and back dates back further still, to the rule of José Gaspar de Francia in the early 1800s, and has simply never been standardised away. In 2013, the government tidied up the design of the coat of arms on the front of the flag, dropping a blue ring that had surrounded the star and changing the lettering around it from yellow-on-red to plain black text, bringing the emblem closer to its original nineteenth-century form.

Flying and Displaying the Flag

Because the Paraguay flag differs from front to back, care is needed when manufacturing or displaying it – a flag sewn as a single printed panel, with the design showing through from one side, is not correct and will show the wrong emblem on the reverse. Properly made flags use two separate pieces of cloth stitched together so each side carries its own design. The flag is flown at government buildings year-round and is especially visible around Independence Day in mid-May, when Paraguayans mark the anniversary of the 1811 break from Spanish rule.

Paraguay Flag Sizes and Pricing

• 180 x 120cm — R860
• 22 x 15cm Desk Flag (10 units) — R800
• 10 x 15cm Desk Flag (10 units) — R650
• 90 x 60cm — R400

Material and Construction

Made from 100% polyester bunting material and digitally printed on both sides. Hemmed all around with two rows of stitching and finished with a polyester webbing heading. Rope and toggle for hoisting included.

Supplied in packs of 10. Printed on both sides onto polyester and supplied with a black plastic stick and removable base — take the base off and it doubles as a hand waving flag.

Ordering and Delivery

Every Paraguay flag is printed to order and dispatched from our Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) and Johannesburg branches, with courier delivery nationwide. Bulk and school orders are welcome — contact us for volume pricing on quantities of 10 or more.

Additional information