Flag of Puerto Rico
Native & traditional name: Bandera de Puerto Rico (La Monoestrellada)
| Entity | Puerto Rico (PR) |
|---|---|
| Parent state | United States |
| Type | Dependent / autonomous territory flag (territorial, civil, state) |
| Proportion | 2:3 (2:3) |
| Primary colors | red, white, blue |
| Main symbol | triangle, star |
| Arrangement | horizontal hoist triangle (red · white · red · white · red) |
| Official adoption | 1952-07-24 |
| Region | Caribbean |
Plain-language visual description
The flag of Puerto Rico consists of five alternating horizontal stripes of red and white (three red, two white) in a 2:3 aspect ratio, with a blue equilateral triangle at the hoist bearing a centered white five-pointed star.
Construction and geometry
Proportion & symmetry: The Flag of Puerto Rico uses a statutory 2:3 height-to-width ratio on a rectangular field with horizontal mirror symmetry. 2:3 ratio; five equal horizontal stripes (3 red, 2 white) with a blue equilateral triangle at the hoist containing a centered white five-pointed star.
- Aspect ratio is 2:3 (in contrast to Cuba's 1:2 ratio).
- Five equal horizontal stripes (three red, two white) with an equilateral blue hoist triangle and centered white five-pointed star.
Official colors and specification system
Rather than manufacturing false RGB precision where a statute specifies dyed cloth, Pantone, Munsell, or CIE coordinates, the table below records the governing color system alongside a calibrated display hex approximation.
| Color | Official shade name | Specification system | Statutory / standard code | Display hex |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| red | Red (Rojo) | statute-named | Named in statute | #ED0000 |
| white | White (Blanco) | statute-named | Named in statute | #FFFFFF |
| blue | Royal / Sky Blue (Azul) | statute-named | Named in statute | #0050F0 |
Meaning and symbolism
Documented symbolism
Under the 1952 Commonwealth Flag Law and 1995 Department of State Regulation No. 5282, the blue equilateral triangle represents the republican government's three branches (executive, legislative, and judicial), while the single white star represents the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
The three red stripes symbolize the blood that nourishes those three branches of government, and the two white stripes represent individual liberty and the rights of citizens that keep government in balance.
Common interpretations
In its original 1895 revolutionary context in New York City, the flag was created by inverting the blue and red of the Cuban flag to symbolize the shared Antillean independence struggle—immortalized in Lola Rodríguez de Tió's verse that Cuba and Puerto Rico are 'of one bird the two wings.'
History and design evolution
On 22 December 1895, fifty-nine Puerto Rican independence advocates gathered at Chimney Corner Hall in Manhattan to form the Puerto Rican Section of the Cuban Revolutionary Party. Easily recognizable alongside the Cuban flag, their new banner—traditionally attributed to Francisco Gonzalo 'Pachín' Marín or Antonio Vélez Alvarado and sewn by Manuela 'Mima' Besosa—inverted Cuba's colors, placing red on the stripes and blue on the hoist triangle.
During the first half of the 20th century under United States administration, public display of the monoestrellada was associated with the Nationalist movement and restricted under the 1948 Gag Law (Ley de la Mordaza). When Puerto Rico ratified its Commonwealth Constitution on 25 July 1952, Governor Luis Muñoz Marín adopted the 1895 design as the official flag of the Commonwealth, initially specifying a dark navy blue triangle matching the US flag.
In 1995, Regulation No. 5282 updated the statutory specification without mandating a single Pantone number, leading to widespread contemporary use of both medium royal blue and the historical 1895 sky blue (azul cielo).
Key historical milestones
- 1895Chimney Corner Hall: The Puerto Rican Revolutionary Committee adopts the color-inverted sister flag to Cuba on 22 December 1895.
- 1952Commonwealth Adoption: Law No. 1 of 24 July 1952 makes the flag the official emblem of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
- 1995Regulation No. 5282: Department of State codifies the geometric construction.
Frequently confused with
The Flag of Puerto Rico is commonly confused with or compared alongside the following flags due to shared colors, stripe geometry, or central emblems:
Visually and structurally similar flags
Ranked deterministically across layout family (35%), color overlap and stripe order (25%), symbols (20%), aspect ratio (10%), and stripe/symmetry geometry (10%):
Sources and image-rights provenance
- Reglamento sobre el Uso en Puerto Rico de la Bandera del Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico (Reg. No. 5282)
- World Factbook: Puerto Rico Flag Description
SVG artwork provenance: Constructed from statutory specifications (public-domain-statute, verified 2026-10-13, SHA-256 74826b45cb41…).