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![[Aruba flag]](../images/a/aw.gif)
(2:3)
by Mark Sensen, 30 December 2000
Official Name: Aruba
Capital: Oranjestad
Location: Caribbean
Government Type: Autonomous Part of the Kingdom
of the Netherlands
Flag adopted: 18
March 1976
ISO Code: AW
See also:
The flag is blue with two yellow bars in base and a red
fourpointed star fimbrated white in chief towards the hoist. The
flag dates from 1976. The four pointed star should represent the
island's four main languages
Željko Heimer, 28 November 1995
The light blue stands for both the sea and the sky. The star
greets the people of all four directions of the wind. The yellow
stands for hte wanglo, a rainflower that sometimes with its
yellow colour lifts up the whole island.
Mark Sensen, 28 November 1995
The text of the Flag Regulation, 14 March 1977 was published
in the Aruban Gazetteer. The colour of the field of the Aruban
flag is Larkspur, which is the "British Colour Council
Dictionary of Colour Standards, No. 196", also known as
"U.N. Blue". The yellow stripes are "Bunting
Yellow", no. 113 from the same dictionary. The red of the
star is "Union Jack Red", no. 210. The white
fimbriation of the star is no. 1.
Mark Sensen, 17 June 1999
From <www.aruba.com>:
"Aruban Flag - The flag of Aruba was officially adopted on
March 18, 1976, along with the official anthem "Aruba Dushi
Tera." (It was chosen on March 18 because it was on this day
in 1948 that Holland accepted Aruba's right to choose for an
autonomous status in the kingdom of the Netherlands). The Aruba
flag has four colors: Bunting yellow, Larkspur (or U.N.) Blue,
Union Jack Red and White. Each of these colors is significant:
the blue represents the sea that surrounds Aruba; yellow is the
color of abundance, representing the island's past and present
industries of gold, aloe and oil; red is for love each Aruban has
for his or her country and the ancient industry of Brazil wood;
and white symbolized the snow-white beaches as well as the purity
of the hearts of Aruba's people who strive for justice, order and
liberty. The symbols on the flag consist of a red star and two
yellow stripes. The representatives of more then 40 nations
immigrated to Aruba. The star also represents the island itself,
surrounded by the beautiful blue sea. The horizontal yellow
stripes denote the free and separate position Aruba enjoys in the
Kingdom of the Netherlands. Aruba continues to celebrate all that
the flag and anthem have come to signify with the national
holiday of Flag and Anthem Day each March 18."
The flag shown in the government pages is in diferent proportions
as described above- seems to be 1:2.
Gvido Pētersons, 8 November 2000
De Nederlandse vlag in heden en verleden by
Derkwillem Visser [vis90] 2nd ed.
(1995) has (translated): "The island council of Aruba
accepted on tuesday 16 march 1976 the design for a flag of its
own. This flag was hoisted for the first time on thursday 18
march 1976 in the capital Oranjestad. The Blue stands for the sea
and the sky; the four-pointed star greets the sections of the
population from all over the earth, and the white star fringe is
to accent the red of the star against the blue of the sky. The
yellow stripes refer to the Wanglo, a rainflower which, sometimes
within a single day, causes the whole of Aruba to light up with
her yellow colour. At the top hoist (pole side) of the blue field
a four-pointed white fringed red star. In the lower half of the
field two lengthwise stripes of yellow (stripe-width - 1/18th of
the flag-height) from the foot above 3/18th and 5/18th of the
flag-height".
I've never seen an Aruban flag in UN blue.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 9 November 2000
Neither "Union Jack Red" nor "U.N. Blue"
are at all similar to the respective shades on the dutch national
flag, which I would expect to be used on the Aruban flag.
Antonio Martins, 10 November 2000
I don't see it logically. They may be a Dutch possession
but they also have their own unique heritage as well, I'm sure
they want an "Aruban" flag. I think the "UN
Blue" is supposed to represent their world-famous blue-green
waters.
David Kendall, 12 November 2000
While my stay in New York (1984-1989) I had seen Aruban flag
in Aruban tourist bureau pamphlet which shows hotel men such as
manager,waiter and chef are waving the flag in the shore. The
shade of blue is yellowish light blue similar to the color of
blue-green water but not dark as Dutch blue.
Nozomi kariyasu, 12 November 2000
This color usualy is called "turquoise blue.
Gvido Pētersons, 13 November 2000
It's aquamarine, then, like in the bahamian flag - still not
UN blue, which is, light but not greenish.
Antonio Martins, 27 November 2000
The blue of the Aruban flag is defined as Larkspur, according
to the British Colour Council Dictionary of Colour Standards no.
196, a.k.a. "U.N. Blue". The yellow is defined as
"Bunting Yellow", according to the same standard no.
113. The red is defined as "Union Jack Red", according
to the same standard no. 210.
Mark Sensen, 28 November 2000
Union Jack Red should be something nearby RGB:204-0-0. UN blue
(difined as PMS 279) is RGB:51-153-204 (but note that UN blue is
not the reported greenish blue). I have no idea about Bunting
Yellow, but it's probably either RGB:255-255-0 or RGB:255-204-0
Antonio Martins, 27 December 2000
A comitee worked in the winner proposal and at end created a
flag adopted 18 March 1876. Date is provided by Flag Bulletin
(Mr. Smith or a delegate from him was member of the Comitee)
Jaume Ollé, 14 and 17 October 2001
Flag adopted 16 March 1976 (by eilandsraad / island council).
Flag first hoisted 18 March 1976 (in capital Oranjestad)
Source: Derkwillem Visser, De Nederlandse Vlag in heden
en verleden, Amsterdam 1990, p80) ("The Netherlands Flag (in
present and past)". Date is provided by Flag Bulletin (Mr.
Smith or a delegate from him was member of the Comitee)
Gerard van der Vaart, 16 October 2001
Resolution of the Island Council No. 2509 dated 16 March 1976,
which established the flag, gives the width of the white
fimbriation to the star as being 1/133 of flag width
("un-cientoy-trinta e tres parti di hanchura di e
bandera").
Christopher Southworth, 7 July 2003
The The Specifications of the Flag is made
from Island Regulation of 14 March 1977 concerning regulations of
the flag, in which he width of the white fimbriation is not
given. Does the resolution say if the white is taken from the red
star, from the blue field, or from both?
Mark Sensen, 7 July 2003
Unfortunately, the Resolution does not seem to make clear
whether the fimbriation is taken from the red or the blue. The
Resolution definitely states that the ratio is 2:3 ("E
proporcionnan di e hanchura y largura ta 2:3").
Christopher Southworth, 7 July 2003
The British Flag Institute recommendations for all three
colours are: blue PMS300, red PMS032 and yellow
PMS109. I'm afraid to say that I am not at all sure on what
the late William Crampton based these recommendations (or indeed
how accurate they are) I am sure, however, that there was no
official model in the Institute files.
Christopher Southworth, 31 March 2004
The island of Aruba formed a part of the Netherlands Antilles
till 1986. On January 1 of that year Aruba stepped out of the
Antilles and got its own status as a separate colony of the
Netherlands. It was agreed that Aruba would achieve independence
ten years later (thus in 1996). The governments of Aruba and the
Neterlands however, agreed recently that Aruba will stay part of
the Kingdom of the Neterlands and will not become an independent
state in 1996. There is no other date set. Aruba has economic
reasons to stay under the umbrella of The Netherlands.
Mark Sensen, 28 November 1995
Before 1986 there was a strong movement for independance. As a
first step the Netherlands granted Aruba the 'status aparte',
which separated it more or less from the other Dutch Antilles.
Later was to follow a plebiscite on independence. Behind the
movement was the decline in income because Venezuela decided to
have its own oil-refineries, instead of having it done in Aruba
and Curaçao. After 1986 Aruba became a holiday-paradise, getting
a useful income from tourism (and some say from other dubious
sources) and independence is more or less off the agenda.
Jarig Bakker, 3 May 1999
The Status Aparte (autonomous part of the Kingdom of
the Netherlands outside the Netherlands Antilles) granted to
Aruba on 1 January 1986 was intended as the first step to full
independence on 1 january 1996. However, in the early 1990s
independence was cancelled on request of Aruba.
I think changes that the Aruban flag would have changed after
independence would almost zero, unless maybe a (con-)federation
with Venezuela (wanted by some) would have been established.
Mark Sensen, 4 May 1999
by Mark Sensen, 30 December 2000
The protocol manual for the
London 2012 Olympics
(Flags and Anthems Manual
London 2012 [loc12]) provides recommendations
for national flag designs. Each
NOC
was sent an image of the flag, including the
PMS shades, for their approval by LOCOG. Once this was obtained, LOCOG produced
a 60 x 90 cm version of the flag for further approval. So, while these specs may
not be the official, government, version of each flag, they are certainly what
the NOC
believed the flag to be.
For Aruba: PMS 279 blue, 108 yellow, 186 red. The vertical version is simply the
flag turned through 90 degrees clockwise.
Ian Sumner, 10 October 2012