Maranhão

Flag of Maranhão
Adopted	July 28, 1947
Designed by	Joaquim de Souza Andrade
Proportions	2:3

The flag of Maranhão, Brazil, consists of nine equal horizontal stripes (alternating red, white, black, and white) with a square blue canton the width of one-half the hoist of the flag, and a white five-pointed star in the centre of the canton.

Symbolism

The three colours of the stripes each represent a type of ethnicity of the Maranhão state. The red represents the native people, the white represents the people of European origin, and the black represents the black people in the state.

The coloured strips symbolise the different ethnic groups which make up the population: red — Amerindians, white — Europeans, and Black — Africans. The white star in the upper hoist corner symbolizes Maranhão as a constituent state of Brazil, and is supposed to be Beta Scorpii, the star representing Maranhão in the flag of Brazil.

History

The flag was first adopted on December 21, 1889, but its use was illegal during Vargos dictatorship in 1937-1947.