Argentina’s flag—light blue‑white‑light blue horizontal bands—was first raised by Manuel Belgrano in 1812 and adopted in 1816. The Sun of May, with 32 alternating straight and wavy rays, appears on the official state and war flags at the centre; civil versions may omit it. Colours evoke sky, liberty, and Marian symbolism; the sun recalls the May Revolution. Law defines proportions, shades, emblem drawing, protocol, and Flag Day (20 June).
On 27 February 1812, Manuel Belgrano raised a blue‑and‑white banner at Rosario amid the struggle for independence. In 1816, following the Congress of Tucumán, the tricolour became the national flag; in 1818 the golden Sun of May—derived from revolutionary iconography and associated with Inca imagery—was added to state and war flags.
The civil flag (without sun) coexists with official variants bearing the emblem. The colours are widely read as the sky and clouds, liberty, and Marian associations. The Sun of May is specified with 32 rays, alternating straight and undulating, and a defined face drawing.
Statutes and decrees establish proportions, colour standards, and ceremonial protocol: solemn raising and lowering, half‑masting for mourning, order of precedence with other flags, and dignified retirement. Flag Day on 20 June commemorates Belgrano’s death and anchors civic education.
While earlier banners and colonial ensigns preceded it, the current scheme has remained visually stable since the nineteenth century. Adjustments have refined shades and emblem artwork rather than the tricolour itself.
The flag is omnipresent at public institutions, schools, military formations, and international events. It encapsulates independence ideals and a shared national narrative, binding provincial identities within a unified republic.