Sometimes geopolitical changes make headlines, but other times they slip quietly under the radar. In particular, small modifications to national flags often fail to make the news. To make sure you don't miss anything, here's a report on one such flag change that even we discovered only recently.
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Flag of Paraguay, 2013-present (front) |
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Flag of Paraguay, 2013-present (back) |
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By Olga Rodriguez-Walmisley
2013 Flag Change
On July 15, 2013, Federico Franco, at that time the President of Paraguay, announced that the official seals on both sides of the Paraguayan flag
would undergo changes in order to better represent the symbols first chosen for it in 1842. These two seals together make up the
national coat of arms of Paraguay.
Franco said the modifications were the result of a long debate and “a consensus that is not often achieved among historians”. There had already been
several changes to the seals in the past, especially after the Paraguayan War of 1864-1870, which pitted the country against Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay.
Changes made to the National Seal
One of the biggest of the 2013 changes was to the ring around the star, where it says “República del Paraguay”. This ring has been red since about 1988, when it was changed
under the rule dictator Alfredo Stroessner, whose political party was represented by that color. It is now white. The blue background behind the yellow star has also disappeared, and the text of the phrase “República del Paraguay” has changed from yellow to black.
Changes made to the Seal of the Treasury
On the reverse
side of the flag, the roaring lion is now a light ochre (golden) color
instead of yellow, the spear behind the lion is brown, while the cap on
top of the spear, which according to tradition symbolizes liberty,
continues to be red. The inscription “Paz y Justicia” (Peace and
Justice) is now black instead of yellow, and the banner behind the
inscription has gone from red to white.