Puerto Rico Flag

The Flag of Puerto Rico is tri colored, red, white, and blue. The origins of the current Puerto Rican flag trace back to 1868 when Dr. Ramon Emeterio Betances conceived the idea. The Puerto Rico flag was modeled after the Dominican Republic Flag. It was divided in the middle by a white cross, the two lower corners were red and the two upper corners were blue with a yellow star in the upper left blue corner. The Puerto Rican Flag is the Cuban Flag in reverse of the red and blue colors.

The colors of the Flag of Puerto Rico have two sets of symbolism. The first was defined in 1895 and the second was approved in 1952 by the Puerto Rican Legislature:

Red Stripes - Blood from the brave warriors. White Stripes - Victory and peace after obtaining independence Blue Triangle - Sky and coastal waters White Lone Star - Beautiful Island.

Post 1952 Symbolism Red Stripes - Blood that nourishes the three branches of government; Legislative, Executive and Judiciary. White Stripes - Individual liberty and the rights keep a balance government Blue Triangle - Republican Government, represented by the three government branches White Lone Star - The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico

When the US occupied Puerto Rico following the Spanish-American War (1898), flying the Puerto Rican flag during that period was viewed as a revolutionary activity. When Puerto Rico officially became a commonwealth of the United States the flag of Puerto Rico was officially recognized on July 25, 1952. The star represents the commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the white stripes represent human rights and individual freedom. The three red stripes and the three corners of the triangle represent the legislative, executive, and judicial government branches.