🇺🇾

Flag of Uruguay

South America

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Quick Facts

Capital
Montevideo
Flag adopted
1830
Population
3,499,451
Area
181,034 km²
Languages
Spanish
Currency
Uruguayan peso ($) — UYU
Demonym
Uruguayan
Government
presidential republic
Subregion
South America
Driving side
Right
Timezones
UTC-03:00
Independence
1825

Religions

  • None 47.3%
  • Roman Catholic 36.5%
  • Protestant 5%
  • Unspecified 3.4%
  • African American Cults/Umbanda 2.8%
  • Believer 1.8%
  • Atheist 1.3%
  • Other 1%
  • Jehovah's Witness 0.6%
  • Agnostic 0.3%
  • Latter-day Saint 0.2%

About This Flag

The flag of Uruguay, known as the Pabellon Nacional, consists of nine alternating white and blue horizontal stripes with a white canton in the upper-hoist corner bearing a golden Sun of May with a human face. The nine stripes represent the nine original departments (provinces) of Uruguay at independence.

The Sun of May is the same symbol that appears on Argentina's flag, representing the Inca sun god Inti and commemorating the May Revolution of 1810 in Buenos Aires, which launched the independence movement across the Rio de la Plata region. The blue and white colors symbolize the principles of liberty and peace.

The flag was adopted on July 11, 1830, and its design was influenced by the flag of the United States.

What the colors & design mean

The nine stripes represent Uruguay's nine original departments. Blue symbolizes the sky and liberty. White stands for peace and purity. The Sun of May represents the Inca sun god Inti and commemorates the beginning of the independence movement in the Rio de la Plata region.

white blue yellow

Pattern: Horizontal Stripes, Canton Design

Bordering countries (2)

🇦🇷 Argentina 🇧🇷 Brazil

Fun Facts

  • Uruguay's flag was modeled after the American Stars and Stripes — the alternating horizontal stripes were directly inspired by the U.S. flag's design.
  • The Sun of May appears on both Argentina's and Uruguay's flags, reflecting their shared revolutionary heritage as former territories of the Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata.
  • Uruguay hosted and won the first FIFA World Cup in 1930, and its small population of about 3.5 million makes it one of the smallest countries to have won the tournament.
  • Uruguay was one of the first countries in the world to establish an eight-hour work day, free public education, and the separation of church and state in the early 20th century.

Similar looking flags

These flags share similar colors and patterns:

🇺🇾 Argentina 🇺🇾 Nauru 🇺🇾 Tuvalu 🇺🇾 Malaysia 🇺🇾 Greece

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