Flag of Peru

The national flag of Peru, officially named the Bandera Nacional (Spanish for "National Flag") and often referred to as The Bicolour (la Bicolor), is a vertical triband with red outer bands and a single white middle band, as defined by Article 49 of the Constitution of the Republic of Peru. The current flag was adopted by the Congress of Peru on 25 February 1825, and modified in 1950. Depending on its use, it may be defaced with different emblems, and has different names. Flag Day in Peru is celebrated on 7 June, the anniversary of the Battle of Arica.

Red represents the blood that was spilled by the fallen freedom fighters that fought for the independence of the country. White represents purity and peace. However, the colours are also linked to the flamingo, or parihuana, a red and white type of flamingo that General San Martín dreamed about during the revolution.

The current colors of the Peruvian flag were taken of the design of San Martín and Torre Tagle. The reasons that red and white were chosen are unknown.^{[citation needed]}

Official tones determined by Peruvian laws do not exist. However, there are some particular initiatives in approximated equivalents in multiple color models, some in tones close to crimson.

At official level, the governmental communications have used diverse shades of red.

The civil flag or ensign (bandera nacional) is used by citizens. It has no additions to the common form. It was changed several times. Before 1950, it looked like the current national flag and was used as both the civil and the state flag, when General Manuel A. Odría removed the coat of arms from the flag and created the state and war flags. The Civil flag lacks coat of arms.

The state flag (pabellón nacional), used by state institutions, is marked with the National shield (Escudo Nacional). It is used during ceremonies in which the National Flag is hoisted in the presence of spectators (as opposed to a static, permanent flag). A form of this flag, the national standard (estandarte nacional) is used indoors by official and private institutions. It is used for the Government Palace, the United Nations, and in similar formal capacities.

The war flag (bandera de guerra), similar to the state flag, is marked with the Coat of Arms (Escudo de Armas). It is flown by the Peruvian military and national police and is typically inscribed with the service, name and number of the unit flying it.