The Flag of the Azores

The flag of the Azores is similar to the flag of Portugal used from 1830-1910, except that the Portuguese coat of arms has been removed and been replaced by the Goshawk (in Portuguese: Açor), the symbol of the Azores. Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Azores. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Azores. ... Motto: Antes morrer livres que em paz sujeitos (Rather die free than in peace subjugated) Anthem: A Portuguesa (national) Hino dos Açores (local) Capital Ponta Delgada (Presidency of the Regional Government) Angra do Heroísmo (Supreme Court)1 Horta (Legislative Assembly)2 Largest city Ponta Delgada Portuguese Government Autonomous... Flag Ratio: 2:3 The flag of the Portuguese Republic is a 2:3 green and red rectangle divided vertically into green at the hoist (2/5 of the flag’s length) and red at the fly (3/5). ... The Coat of Arms of Portugal was officially adopted in 30 June 1911, along with the Republican Flag of Portugal. ... Binomial name Accipiter gentilis (Linnaeus, 1758) The Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis; from OE. góshafuc goose-hawk) is a medium large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards and harriers. ...

Colours

Blue and white have always been the traditional colours of the Portuguese Nation, first present in the coat of arms of Henry, Count of Portugal. During the height of the Portuguese Civil War, in the early 19th century, the Azores served as an important Liberal stronghold, with the prominent Duke of Terceira struggling against the absolutists led by Dom Miguel. The colours of the flag were thusly adopted from the Portuguese liberal flag, as to demonstrate the Azores' important role in the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in Portugal. Henry of Burgundy (1066–1112) was Count of Portugal from 1093 to his death. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... King Miguel of Portugal (October 26, 1802 - November 14, 1866) was the second son of King John VI of Portugal. ...

It should be relevant to remark that the current flag of the Azores was mostly based on the flag first employed by the Azores Liberation Front, a right-wing independentist movement which appeared after the Carnation Revolution, out of the fear of Portugal becoming a Soviet puppet-state. According to the organisation, blue and white stood for Portuguese classical liberalism, as opposed to the "totalitarian socialist forces" that would dominate the country in the mid-70's. The Carnation Revolution (Portuguese, Revolução dos Cravos) was an almost bloodless, left-leaning, military-led revolution started on April 25, 1974, in Lisbon, Portugal, that effectively changed the Portuguese regime from an authoritarian dictatorship to a liberal democracy after a two-year process of a Left-wing semi-military...

Symbolism

The name of the archipelago comes from the Portuguese word açor, meaning goshawk, because it was supposed to be a common bird at the time of the discovery. However these birds never existed on the islands, they actually were a local subspecies of the buzzard (Buteo buteo), that was erroneously identified as goshawks by the first explorers. The eagle on the flag is intended to be the celebration of that historical mistake. The flag of the FLA, which served as the first basis for the Azorean flag, also depicted a prominent bald eagle - probably a reference to its connections with the CIA. The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an American intelligence agency, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ...

The nine stars stand for the nine islands of the archipelago, while the Portuguese lesser arms are present in the top left corner of the flag.