Colombia vs Ecuador

Both flags share the yellow, blue, and red horizontal stripes of Gran Colombia, with yellow occupying the top half. Ecuador's national flag displays its coat of arms (Andean condor) in the center; Colombia's is plain. Both use a 2:3 ratio in current official specs (Ecuador 2009 communications rules; older sources sometimes showed Ecuador as 1:2).

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Colombia

Ecuador

Colombia versus Ecuador
Spec	Colombia	Ecuador
Proportions	2:3	2:3
Adopted	1861	1860
Colors	Yellow #FCD116 Blue #003893 Red #CE1126	Yellow #FFDD00 Blue #034EA2 Red #ED1C24
Look for	Unadorned tricolor without any coat of arms 2:3 aspect ratio Top yellow band occupies 50% of the flag's total height	Features the national coat of arms in the exact center Coat of arms depicts an Andean condor perched over Mount Chimborazo and the Guayas River 2:3 aspect ratio (same family as Colombia)

Which flag is Colombia?

The Enduring Legacy of Simón Bolívar's Gran Colombia

In 1806, Venezuelan revolutionary Francisco de Miranda raised a yellow, blue, and red banner aboard his ship, intending to liberate northern South America from the Spanish Empire. Miranda explained the colors through Goethe's theory of primary colors, while popular lore held that yellow represented the continent's mineral wealth, red represented Spanish tyranny, and the blue ocean separated the two.

When Simón Bolívar forged the Republic of Colombia (now known as Gran Colombia) in 1819, uniting modern Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama, Miranda's tricolor became the republic's sovereign symbol. When Gran Colombia dissolved in 1830, each newly sovereign republic refused to abandon the iconic banner.

To avoid diplomatic confusion, the sister republics developed distinct variations. Venezuela adopted three equal-width bands with an arc of stars. Colombia retained the uneven bands (yellow occupying the top half) without an emblem, while Ecuador made its historical coat of arms permanent on the center of its flag in 1900.

Telling them apart

The top yellow band on both flags is equal in height to the blue and red bands combined (ratio of 2:1:1).
Ecuador's civil flag without the coat of arms is occasionally used by citizens, making it identical in layout to Colombia's flag.
Current Ecuador and Colombia state flags both use 2:3. Tell them apart by Ecuador's centered coat of arms, not by length.

Questions

Can Ecuador's flag ever be flown without the coat of arms?

Yes. Ecuador's civil flag (for everyday private citizens) is legally permitted without the coat of arms. However, in state, military, and international contexts, the condor coat of arms is mandatory.

How does Venezuela fit into this group?

Venezuela uses the same three colors, but all three stripes are of equal height (1:1:1), and its flag features an arc of eight white five-pointed stars in the central blue stripe.