Puerto Rico Flag

The blue triangle represents the island, its government branches, and the coastal waters; the white star symbolizes the Commonwealth itself. The red stripes stand for the blood sustaining the three branches of government, while the white stripes denote liberty, peace, and human rights. As one Reddit source notes:> “The white star stands for the island; the three sides of the triangle represent the three branches of the government; blue symbolises the sky and coastal waters; red recalls the blood shed by warriors; and white symbolises liberty, victory, and peace.”

Adopted by exiled Puerto Rican activists in New York on 22 December 1895 to express solidarity with Cuba and independence from Spain. The flag was heralded during the 1897 Yauco revolt; later banned under Spanish and U.S. administrations. Officially recognized when Puerto Rico became a Commonwealth in 1952, and the darker shade of blue was standardized in 1995.

Five alternating horizontal stripes (red‑white‑red‑white‑red), with an equilateral blue triangle at the hoist containing a centered white star. Color tones include Pantone equivalent shades: blue ~ #002B7F; red ~ #EF3340; white ~ #FFFFFF. Unique flipping rule: the flag is flown with red on top during wartime.

Flag law under Republic Act 8491 mandates respect: flag must be clean, displayed sunrise to sunset on public buildings and homes during national holidays (28 May–12 June). Flying red over blue signals war. Desecration is punishable by law.