🇳🇮

Flag of Nicaragua

North America

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Quick Facts

Capital
Managua
Flag adopted
1971
Population
6,803,886
Area
130,373 km²
Languages
Spanish
Currency
Nicaraguan córdoba (C$) — NIO
Demonym
Nicaraguan
Government
presidential republic
Subregion
Central America
Driving side
Right
Timezones
UTC-06:00
Independence
1821

Religions

  • Roman Catholic 44.9%
  • Protestant 38.7%
  • None 13.7%
  • Other 1.2%
  • Believer 1%
  • Agnostic 0.4%
  • Unspecified 0.2%

About This Flag

The flag of Nicaragua consists of three equal horizontal bands of blue on top, white in the center, and blue on the bottom, with the national coat of arms centered on the white stripe. The blue bands represent the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, while the white symbolizes peace.

The coat of arms features a triangle (representing equality) containing five volcanoes (the five Central American nations), a rainbow (hope), a Phrygian cap of liberty, and rays of light. The flag is derived from the former Federal Republic of Central America and is nearly identical to the flags of El Salvador and Honduras.

The current version was established on August 27, 1971.

What the colors & design mean

Blue represents the two oceans bordering Central America. White symbolizes peace. The triangular coat of arms represents equality, the five volcanoes represent the five Central American nations, and the Phrygian cap represents liberty.

blue white

Pattern: Horizontal Stripes

Bordering countries (2)

🇨🇷 Costa Rica 🇭🇳 Honduras

Fun Facts

  • Nicaragua's coat of arms contains a faint rainbow, making it one of only two national flags with purple in it — the rainbow's indigo and violet bands technically include purple hues, alongside Dominica's parrot.
  • Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America by area, yet it has one of the smallest populations relative to its size.
  • Lake Nicaragua is the largest lake in Central America and one of the few freshwater lakes in the world that contains oceanic animal life, including bull sharks and sawfish.
  • The flag is so similar to El Salvador's and Honduras's that all three are often confused at international events — the differences lie entirely in their coats of arms.

Similar looking flags

These flags share similar colors and patterns:

🇳🇮 Israel 🇳🇮 Greece 🇳🇮 San Marino 🇳🇮 El Salvador 🇳🇮 Honduras

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