Dominican Republic

The flag of the Dominican Republic consists of a centred white cross that extends to the edges divides the flag into four rectangles — the top ones are blue (hoist side) and red, and the bottom ones are red (hoist side) and blue; a small coat of arms featuring a shield supported by an olive branch (left) and a palm branch (right) is at the center of the cross; above the shield a blue ribbon displays the motto, DIOS, PATRIA, LIBERTAD ("God, Fatherland, Liberty"), and below the shield, REPUBLICA DOMINICANA appears on a red ribbon.Flag of Dominican Republic at CIA World Factbook
The aspect ratio is 2:3 for the national flag and 1:2 for the naval ensign.
==Other national flags==
The civil ensign removes the emblem in the center of the flag, while the naval ensign elongates the sides of the flag.
The presidential standard puts the aforementioned naval ensign in the canton over a white field, and adds a yellow anchor in the fly.
The naval jack consists of a blue background with a white circle containing the country's emblem in the center, surrounded by a ring of thirty-one white stars.
Image:Dominican Republic (civil ensign).svg|Civil ensign
Image:Dominican Republic (naval ensign).svg|Naval ensign
Image:Dominican Republic (presidential ensign).svg|Presidential ensign
Image:Dominican Republic (naval jack).svg|Naval jack
==Symbolism==
* The blue represent the sky
* The red represents the blood shed by the patriots
* The white represents dignity, the peaceful character of the Dominicans and their dedication to peace.Dominican Republic at Flags of the World
==History==
Christopher Columbus visited the island of Hispaniola in 1492, claiming it for the Spanish monarchy. However, French colonists in the 17th century established a state known as Saint-Domingue (Saint-Dominique) in the western part of the island, which subsequently became Haiti. The Spanish-speaking area in the east was conquered by the newly independent Republic of Haiti in 1822. One of the national flags of Haiti had equal horizontal stripes of blue and red, and it was that flag that formed the basis for the revolutionary banner eventually raised in the Spanish-speaking areas.
The Dominican revolutionary group known as La Trinitaria emphasized its Christian heritage by placing a white cross on the background of the blue-red flag. The revolution led by La Trinitaria broke out on February 27, 1844, and the flag, designed by Juan Pablo Duarte, was hoisted the next day. The success of the independence movement led to a constitution for the country, which established the official flag on November 6, 1844. The constitution of 1878 specified that the flag must be charged with the national coat of arms in the centre. According to the constitution of 1908 the order of the colours at the fly end was reversed, so that henceforth the blue and red would alternate, with the white cross between them. Unofficially the flag with altered colours was used at least since 1849.Dominican Republic, flag of the. (2009). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved March 19, 2009, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online
==References==
Category:Dominican Republic
Category:North America
Category:Caribbean
Category:Recursion
Category:White background
Category:Blue
Category:Red
Category:Green
Category:Yellow
Category:Coat of Arms
Category:Lettering
Category:Leaves
Category:Books
Category:Proportions 2-3
Category:Cross
Category:Spears