Brazil

Last modified: 1998-01-07 by herman de wael
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by mark sensen

• States and Federal District
• Early Brazilian History
• 1822 flag
• 1889 flag

Some explanations taken from here

States and Federal District

State	Adopted	Ratio	Comment
Acre	01-MAR-1963	10:20	de facto
Alagoas	23-SEP-1963	4:7	_
Amapá
Amazonas	1897	7:10	de facto
Bahia	26-MAR-1889	7:10	de facto
Ceará	31-AUG-1967	7:10	_
Espírito Santo	23-APR-1947	4:7	_
Goiás	30-JUL-1919	7:10	de facto
Maranhão	01-DEC-1971	2:3	_
Mato Grosso	11-JUL=1947	7:10	_
Mato Grosso do Sul	01-JAN-1979	7:10	_
Minas Gerais	27-NOV-1962	7:10	_
Pará	17-NOV-1889	7:10	de facto
Paraíba	27-OCT-1965	7:10	_
Paraná	31-MAR-1947	2:3	_
Pernambuco	23-FEB-1917	7:10	de facto
Piauí	24-JUL-1922	7:10	de facto
Rio de Janeiro	1947	7:10	_
Rio Grande do Norte	3-DEC-1957	2:3	_
Rio Grande do Sul	1947	7:10	_
Rondônia	31-DEC-1981	_	_
Roraima	_	_	_
Santa Catarina	23-OCT-1953	3:4	_
São Paulo	03-SEP-1948	7:10	_
Sergipe	1947	2:3	de facto
Tocantins
Territory	Adopted	Ratio	Comment
Distrito Federal	07-SEP-1969	13:18	_
Former States
Guanabara

The above information was taken from W. Smith's Flags..., and those flags commented with 'de facto' are in use but without a legal background. It is to note that many of these flags have 7:10 ratio, and that is probably influenced by the Brazilian flag of the same ratio. Many of these flags use Brazilian national colours green and yellow (and blue), and there are also many red-white-blue combinations. Those, as much as shapes of many of them, were obviously influenced by U.S. flag. The Brazilian constitution from 10-NOV-1937 put all of the provincial flags out of law. New consitution of 18-SEP-1946 legalized the use of these flags again. All of the Brasilian states' flags are used by civilians and by local governments on land. There are, of course, no military versions nor those for use on sea, though there might have been, since many designs are based on old revolutionary flags.
zeljko heimer - 1996-03-13

Early Brazilian History

by jaume olle

John Fetzer (again) sent me some photocopies of old flags' images (!Thanks John!), and I've drawn some.

Here I send a flag named "da inconfideza mineira" or "da revolucao da Tiradentes". In Minas Gerais, a man called "Tiredentes" (Jose Joaquim da Silva) organized a revolt, which was aborted by portuguese colonial authorities through lack of faith ("inconfidenza") of one of the conspirers.
Jaume Olle - 1996-09-13

by jaume olle

In 1817 the discontent with the portuguese colonial administration started the Pernambucan republican revolution, which was liquidated by the portuguese army, and Alagoas, Paraiba, Rio Grande do Norte and Ceara were separated from the Pernambucan capitany ("Capitany" is the name of the old provinces during the portuguese colonial administration).
Jaume Olle - 1996-09-13

by jaume olle

The Pernambucan region continued hostile, and, after 1821 was proclaimed a democratic constitution, and they did not accept the proposed constitution of 1823 (proclaimed by Dom Pedro in 1824). On 21 July 1824 a new revolt was started, and extended to some provinces (now states) joined in the Equatorial Confederation, which was defeated on 21 November 1824.
I'm unsure too about the colors of stars, circle and cross, and for the word in the right part (unreadable in the photocopie).
Jaume Olle - 1996-09-13

Another revolt occured in Para on 7 January 1835 headed by a man named Malcher (self proclaimed president) and another man named Francisco Vinagre (after some weeks the new president) who proclaimed the Republic of Para (the movement is known as "revolucao do Cabanagem").  In 1836 the states of Amazonas and Maranhao joined the revolt, and the second Equatorial Confederation was formed. In the same year 1836 the brazilian army conquered Maranhao and Para, and in 1840, Amazonas. I'm not sure of the flag of the second Confederation. I read about several proposals, but the oficial design is unsure. Carlos Noronha is researching the flag.
Sources: I think that the photocopies are of the book of W. Crampton "The world of the flags"
The historical information is in the collection: Nosso Brasil (Rio do Janeiro 1976), the Hispano-Americana Enciclopaedya, the Durvan Enciclopaedia, and unknow brazilian sources consulted by Carlos Noronha.
Jaume Olle - 1996-09-13

1822 flag

The flag of 1822 was green with a yellow lozenge (like today), but with the arms in the centre. This was replaced in 1889 by the celestial sphere. Since then only the number of stars has increased. The last time on 11 may 1992 to 26, representing the 26 states.
mark sensen - 1995-12-05

1889 flag

by jaume olle

A friend from Brazil, Carlos Noronha, transmitted me various information, among others a color photocopy of what seems be the page of an Encyclopedia, on which figures a provisional flag of the Brazilian Republic. The flag is almost identical to that of State of Piaui, apart from the number of stars, 21, probably referring to the provinces of then. The thirteen bars in the flag of Piaui symbolize to the Brazilian country.
Jaume Olle - 1996-08-19