Honduras (original) (raw)


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Republica de Honduras, Republic of Honduras

Last modified: 2024-07-13 by rob raeside
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[[Flag of Honduras]](../images/h/hn2022.gif) image by Jason Saber, 7 January 2022

Official Name: Republic of Honduras (Republica de Honduras)
Flag adopted: 9 January 1866
Coat of Arms adopted: 3 October 1825

See also:

The Flag

As part of the purpose of starting a new government, focusing on foundations of institutionality and national identity, the President-elect Xiomara Castro De Zelaya has given instructions starting January 27, the date of the transfer of presidential command of Honduras, that the general use of the official color is established from the National Flag. The legal description in the Constitution of the Republic, provides for the following:

Article 1. - Reform Legislative Decree No. 7 of February 16, 1866, which creates the National Flag, which will be read as follows:
Art. 1. The National Flag of Honduras will consist of three equal and horizontal stripes, the upper and lower of TURQUOISE BLUE COLOR, the white center and will carry in between five stars of five rising angles of the same blue color, forming with four of them a parallel quadrilateral to the stripes, being placed the rest in the center of the same quad. The width of the set of the three branches should be contained twice the length.

The Joint Chief State (Armed Forces) has already issued an ordinance to proceed, starting January 17, with the change of flags at all the headquarters of this entity and in the uniforms of the country's armed body. For some this is an initiative irrelevant to the country's structural problems, but we recognize that starting by creating identity and respect for patriotic symbols, creates a culture in favor of institutional respect and citizen defense.
Source:https://www.facebook.com/RFCentroamerica/
Jason Saber, 7 January 2022

The website athttps://tiempo.hn/unah-confirma-usara-azul-turquesa-en-bandera-nacional/provides some context on the change to the turquoise. Universidad Nacional Aut�noma de Honduras (UNAH) adopted these colors to serve as the flag used at their campus due to the historical nature of turquoise being the main colors used in the original national flag. This color is going to be used in all branding and uniforms of the Armed Forces on 17 January (https://conexion.hn/2022/01/ffaa-usara-la-bandera-nacional-en-color-azul-turquesa-a-partir-del-17-de-enero/) and will be at the inauguration of President-elect Xiomara Castro.
Zachary Harden, 7 January 2022

Xiomas Castro wore a new Presidential Sash of turquoise blue at the inauguration ceremony on Jan 27th and resumed the same color of the national flag based on Flag law No29 issued on Jan18 1949.
https://www.bnamericas.com/en/analysis/how-honduras-new-president-could-achieve-her-ict-goals
Nozomi Kariyasu, 28 January 2022

Earlier version of the flag

[[Flag of Honduras]](../images/h/hn.gif)image by Željko Heimer, 1 November 2001
Flag according to Clay Moss report

image by Željko Heimer, 1 November 2001
**Flag according to Album 2000 [**pay00]

In Carlo A. Ferro's book: The Argentine flag, inspirer of the Central American banners, Honduras chose the same international naming for white, but curiously not for blue, which is defined as "turquí" (turquoise?), i.e., dark blue.
Gus Tracchia, 27 November 2000

While visiting Honduras I did not saw a Honduran flag anywhere that looks like and illustration floating around on a flag chart or in an encyclopedia. All Honduran flags are proportioned 1 to 2. The constellation of 5 stars on Honduran flags is spread out much further than what illustrations show. Starting from the hoist, the first 2 stars are placed at a point 1/3 the length of the flag. The middle star is placed in the center, and the last 2 stars are placed at a point 2/3 the length of the flag from the hoist. Also, the stars, though 5 pointed are not the American variety. Each point is wider at the center. Here is an illustration.
Clay Moss, 5 July 2001

According to Album 2000 [pay00] - National Flag (CSW/CS- 1:2) - Horizontal triband of blue-white-blue with five blue stars in the middle stripe. Clay Moss is stating that all (most?) the flag is Honduras itself use "fat" stars, and he further gives the construction details, that I interpret. The Album gives similar image, but with more traditional stars.
Željko Heimer, 1 November 2001

The image shown in the Album 2000 is correct according to Figures 4 and 5 of a Decree dated 18 January 1949 (reproduced in the Folleto Civico of 15 September 1965). This shows that the stars are set within an imaginary rectangle one-third of flag length, and that they are conventionally shaped (as in the US flag). There is no size given for the stars, but from Figures 4 & 5 I have calculated them to be contained within an imaginary circle of diameter = 1/18 of flag width.
Incidentally, the flag with stars set closer together (as in the Flaggenbuch) is based on accuardo no. 194 of 27 September 1933, and it was originally established by Law No. 7 of the National Congress dated 19 January 1866.
The colour 'azul turquesa' or 'azul turqui' was defined by an amendment published in the Folleto Civico of the same date.
Based upon a copy of the Folleto Civico supplied by Armand du Payrat, and upon information by Ralf Stelter copied from the Flag Institute files.
Christopher Southworth, 2 March 2003

Fred Drews reported: "I was recently in Honduras. The Honduras flag definitely has the stars spread out we have them". The spread-out stars date from a regulation of 1949.
Christopher Southworth, 7 October 2004

Symbolism

From Flags of the World (Talocci 1982):
Honduras achieved independence in 1821 as part of the Central American federation along with El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Guatemala. The present flag, which was officially adopted in 1949, is similar to that of the federation, which came to an end in the years 1838 to 1839.
The blue bands stand for the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The five stars, introduced in 1866, reflect the hope that the five states may once again form an association...

From Collins Gem Flags (Shaw 1994):
Honduras was one of the five member states of the United Provinces of Central America and, like other constituent states, has retained a blue and white triband flag based on the federation's flag, itself modeled on that of Argentina. Honduras' flag was adopted in 1866, with the five central stars representing a desire for the rebirth of the federation...
David Cohen, 3 March 1998

From www.honduras.com: "Three equal horizontal bands, one blue (top), white (center), and blue (bottom) with five blue, five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern, centered in the white band. The stars represent the members of the former Federal Republic of Central America: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua."
Dov Gutterman, 6 April 2000

Construction Sheet

image by Željko Heimer, 1 November 2001

Regarding the construction sheet, one may say it this way - the flag field is divided in 36x72 squares. If we designate the origin (point 0,0) the midpoint of the flag (i.e. the crossing point of the diagonals). the center of the circles in which stars are inscribed is in points: 0,0; 12,3; 12,-3; -12,3; -12,-3, with diameter 4.
In other words, we may image division of the flag field in 3x6 squares, with circles of diameter 1/3 of such square side, set in the flag midpoint and in quartering-points of opposite sides of those squares edging the midpoint.
If you've been following this, you might understand what I mean when I say that the stars are determined with two squares. In some other sources the stars are set much closer to each other, and are determined with one square. I don't incude an image of that variant.
Željko Heimer, 1 November 2001

Color Specifications

Note: Sources published before 2022 give color values of previously used national flag.
Zoltan Horvath, 12 June 2024

The protocol manual for theLondon 2012 Olympics (Flags and Anthems Manual London 2012 [loc12]) provides recommendations for national flag designs. EachNOC 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 Honduras: PMS 285 blue. The vertical flag is simply the horizontal version turned 90 degrees clockwise.
Ian Sumner, 10 October 2012

Other sources for colors:
The Flag Manual - Beijing 2008 gives Pantone color: PMS 285 (blue).

The Album des Pavillons 2000 [pay00] (Corr. No. 5.) gives approximate color in Pantone and CMYK systems:
Blue: Pantone 294 c, CMYK 100-55-0-20

Flags and Anthems Manual London 2012 [loc12] gives Pantone color: PMS 285 (blue).

The Album des Pavillons 2023 already specifies the color of the flags in three color systems.
Blue: Pantone 306c, CMYK 71-0-8-0, RGB 0-188-228

Vexilla Mundi gives colors in Pantone system: PMS 0118-6C, and PMS White.

Wikipedia gives color values as follows:
Turquoise Blue: RGB 0-188-228, Hex #00bce4, CMYK 100-18-0-11, Pantone 306 C
White: RGB 255-255-255, Hex #ffffff, CMYK 0-0-0-0

Flag Color Codes gives the following color values:
Turquoise: Hex. # 00bce4, RGB 0-188-228, CMYK 100-18-0-11, Pantone 306 C, RAL 5012
White: Hex. # FFFFFF, RGB 255-255-255, CMYK 0-0-0-0, Pantone 7436 C, RAL 9016

Zoltan Horvath, 12 June 2024

In this letter sent to the Mexican Senate from the Government of Honduras (https://infosen.senado.gob.mx), the letter states the color chosen in 2022 for the turquoise blue color is Pantone 3105. For reference, the color can be seen athttps://www.pantone.com/eu/en/connect/3105-C. The Pantone shade was also required to be used on national flags used in passports, according to this tender notice (https://inm.gob.hn/INM.LPI.001.2022.04.10.22%20Final.pdf).
Zachary Harden, 30 March 2024

Decree on Salute to the Flag and Anthem

The Congress of Honduras has approved a Decree, proposed by Miguel Edgardo Martínez (representative of Comayagua), prescribing all citizens to salute the national flag and anthem. The salute should be performed in all public and private acts, with the hand open and placed on the chest at the heart's location. The police and the army are allowed to keep their own mode of salute, with the right hand raised to the forehead.
Accordingly, the President of the Republic is the only citizen allowed to use the two modes of salute, as a civilian and as the head of the armed forces.
Source:http://www.elheraldo.hn/pais/744283-331/obligatorio-saludar-bandera-con-mano-en-el-pecho- Diario El Heraldo, 3 September 2014
Ivan Sache, 11 September 2014

Presidential Sash

images by Eugene Ipavec, Francisco Gregoric, and António Martins-Tuválkin, 26 March 2006

The Presidential Sash of Honduras.
Source: photo of Presidential Sash (President of Honduras Mr. Manuel Zelaya) at the Presidency of Colombia official website.
E.R., 26 March 2006

Police Flags (?)

I located this photo at the Honduras Police site (defunct). Are those unit flags ?
Dov Gutterman, 9 June 2000

It is a kind of "military insignia" of the Batallón Xatruch (the Honduran contingent in Iraq). The unidentified cross is a letter, an "X", which means "Xatruch", from Florencio Xatruch, a military hero of XIX century who fought against William Walker.
G. Perdomo, 16 and 20 August 2004