Costa Rica has a flag with five horizontal bands. The upper and lower bands of the Costa Rican flag are blue, the one in the middle of the flag is red and under and above this band there are two white stripes. The red stripe has twice the size of the blue and white ones in the flag. Every colour in the flag has a symbolic meaning. Blue in the flag of Costa Rica refers to the sky, goals that can be achieved, idealism, perseverance and religious and spiritual desires. The colour white in the Costa Rican flag symbolizes wisdom, peace and happiness. The most intriguing colour in the Costa Rican flag however is red, which is symbolic for the blood of those who died in the struggle for independence as well as the joy for life and the generosity of the people of Costa Rica. It’s not a coincidence that the flag of Costa Rica has the same colours as the one of France, because it was inspired by the ideas of the French Revolution. The flag of Costa Rica as it is nowadays became official in 1906. The design of the Costa Rican flag however dates back to 1848, when it was made by the wife of the Costa Rican President. And for the lovers of trivia it is good to know that the first official Costa Rican flag had totally different colours; blue, yellow, blue. This Costa Rican flag, where blue refers to the two oceans and yellow to ´golden´ America, has only been used briefly between 1821 and 1823. It was this flag that was carried when Costa Rica gained independence from the Mexican empire. After this there were six consecutive other official designs of the Costa Rican flag in use. One of the more interesting designs consisted of a completely white field with a red 5 pointed star. This Costa Rican flag did not have a large lifespan and was only used briefly from 1823 - 1824. After that the Costa Rican has been basically light blue and white. But in 1906 the blue, white and red flag of Costa Rica was finally introduced and up till today can be seen on many locations. Also the national anthem of Costa Rica is dedicated to flag: Noble patria tu hermosa bandera (translated as ‘Noble motherland, your beautiful flag). The flag of Costa Rica is firmly embedded in the hearts, beliefs and values of the Ticos.