Brazil’s state flags

São Paulo

Thirteen black and white stripes and a red canton with a map of Brazil, flown in the 1932 Constitutionalist Revolution.

Rio de Janeiro

Blue and white quarters, with the state arms.

Minas Gerais

A red triangle and “Libertas quae sera tamen”, the motto of the Inconfidência Mineira, a 1789 plot for independence.

Espírito Santo

Blue, white and pink, the colours of the robes of Our Lady of Victory, patron of the capital Vitória, with the motto “Trabalha e confia”, “Work and trust”.

Paraná

A white band on green, with a blue globe holding the Southern Cross.

Santa Catarina

Red and white with a green diamond holding the arms: an eagle for the state’s producers, a key for its strategic position, and a Phrygian cap for the republic.

Rio Grande do Sul

Green, red and yellow diagonals, the flag of the Riograndense Republic of the Ragamuffin War (1835–1845).

Federal District

A green square with four gold arrowheads on white, for Brasília’s planned heart.

Goiás

Green and yellow stripes with the Southern Cross in a blue canton, the constellation behind Brazil’s early names Vera Cruz and Santa Cruz.

Mato Grosso

A variation on the national flag, with a gold star on the blue.

Mato Grosso do Sul

Green and blue split by a white diagonal, with a gold star, adopted in 1979 after the state was split from Mato Grosso.

Bahia

Red and white stripes with a white triangle on blue, a design tied to the 1798 Tailors’ Revolt.

Pernambuco

A rainbow, star, sun and cross over blue and white, from the republican revolution of 1817.

Paraíba

Red and black with the word “NEGO”, “I refuse”, recalling governor João Pessoa in 1930.

Maranhão

Red, white and black stripes with a star in a blue canton.

Ceará

The green field and yellow diamond of the national flag, with the state arms in a white disc where the national flag has its starry globe.

Piauí

Thirteen green and yellow stripes, with a star for Antares, Piauí’s star on the national flag, above the date of the Battle of Jenipapo, 13 March 1823.

Rio Grande do Norte

Green over white, for hope and peace, with the state arms; the design was worked out by Luís da Câmara Cascudo.

Alagoas

Red, white and blue bands, with the arms: three fish for the state’s three great lagoons, between sprays of sugar cane and cotton.

Sergipe

Green and yellow stripes with five stars for five river mouths along Sergipe’s coast; the large centre star is the Sergipe river.

Acre

Yellow and green with a red star, from the short-lived Republic of Acre in the early 1900s.

Amazonas

White, red and white, with 62 stars in the canton, one for each municipality; the large star in the middle is Manaus.

Pará

A blue star on a white band across red: the star is Spica, Pará’s star on the national flag, and the band recalls the equator and the Amazon.

Amapá

The outline of the São José de Macapá fortress at the hoist; the black stripes honour those who died fighting for the region.

Roraima

A gold star for Wezen, Roraima’s star on the national flag, above a thin red line for the equator.

Rondônia

A white star, Rondônia’s star Muliphen on the national flag, in a blue sky above gold for mineral wealth and a green wedge.

Tocantins

A sun on blue and white: Tocantins was carved out of Goiás by the 1988 constitution, making it the newest state.