7 National Flags from Central America

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Plus, find out why so many Central American flags are similar

Co-authored by Austin Krance and Amy Bobinger, BA

Last Updated: February 24, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Belize
|
• Costa Rica
|
• El Salvador
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• Guatemala
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• Honduras
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• Nicaragua
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• Panama

|Show more |Show less

The flags of Central America represent the area's history, with many of the flags paying homage to the short-lived but powerful Federal Republic of Central America. Below, we're sharing each of the beautiful flags from the region, plus explaining what each one symbolizes and when it was adopted.

Flags of Central America

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Several of the flags of Central America use a light-blue-and-white color scheme, including El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. The colors are inspired by the flag of the Federal Republic of Central America, which included those 4 countries, plus Costa Rica

Steps

Section 1 of 7:

Belize

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1. 
   The Belize flag features the country’s coat of arms against a blue background. The flag is bordered by horizontal red bands on the top and bottom. The wreath on the seal has 50 leaves, symbolizing the year 1950, when the country began its fight for independence. The seal also features a mahogany tree, representing Belize’s timber industry, and a ship, symbolizing maritime trade. The two men on the seal represent the country’s diversity, and the motto “Sub Umbra Florea” means “Under the Shade I Flourish.”

   • Flown since: 1981
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Section 2 of 7:

Costa Rica

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1. 
   Costa Rica’s flag has blue, white, and red horizontal bands. The country’s shield sits in the wide red stripe at the center of the flag, about a third of the way in from the left side. The dark blue stripes represent the sky and perseverance, white represents peace and wisdom, and red symbolizes the blood of martyrs who fought for the country. The shield features a ship sailing in front of green mountains, under a sky filled with stars.

   • Flown since: 1906

Section 3 of 7:

El Salvador

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1. 
   El Salvador’s flag has blue and white horizontal stripes with the coat of arms in the center. A blue-and-white striped flag was first flown in El Salvador in 1822. It was adopted again in 1912, and the most recent version, featuring the coat of arms and national motto “Dios, unión, libertad” (“God, union, liberty”), has been active since the 1970s.

   • Flag expert Austin Krance says that many Central American flags use the same light-blue-and-white color scheme because at one point, they were all part of the same country.
   • A simple blue-and-white version of the flag, without the coat of arms, is sometimes flown as a civil flag.
   • Flown since: 1972
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Section 4 of 7:

Guatemala

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1. 
   Guatemala’s flag features blue and white vertical stripes with the country’s coat of arms in the center. The light blue and white stripes are the same color as the flags flown by El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras—but in 1823, the stripes were set vertically to make Guatemala’s flag more unique. The country’s coat of arms features the quetzal bird atop a scroll, along with a wreath, crossed rifles, and sabers.

   • A version of the flag without the coat of arms is sometimes flown by civilians.
   • Flown since: 1968

Section 5 of 7:

Honduras

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1. 
   The flag of Honduras has light blue and white stripes with light blue stars. It uses the same blue-and-white colors as El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. It stands out for its use of 5 blue stars in the center of the flag—they stand for the 5 nations that were originally part of the Federal Republic of Central America: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

   • Flown since: 1866
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Section 6 of 7:

Nicaragua

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1. 
   Nicaragua’s flag has blue and white horizontal stripes with the coat of arms in the center. It’s extremely similar to El Salvador’s flag, but Nicaragua’s seal has a triangular shape set inside a circle made up of the words “Republica De Nicaragua” and “America Central.” The triangular shape of the seal stands for equality, the liberty cap represents freedom, and the five volcanoes stand for the 5 countries of the Federal Republic of Central America.

   • A civil version of the flag is flown without the seal.
   • Flown since: 1823

Section 7 of 7:

Panama

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1. 
   The flag of Panama is divided into four quarters of red, white, and blue. The top-left corner of the flag is a white field with a blue star, the top-right corner is a red square, the bottom-right corner is a white field with a red star, and the bottom-left corner is a blue square. The white represents peace, blue stands for the country’s conservative party, and red symbolizes the liberal party.

   • Flown since: 1949
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