Adopted in 1861; The flag of Colombia has three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double-width), blue, and red. The flag retains the three main colors of the banner of Gran Colombia, the short-lived South American republic that broke up in 1830. Various interpretations of the colors exist and include; yellow for the gold in Colombia's land, blue for the seas on its shores, and red for the blood spilled in attaining freedom. Alternatively, the colors have been described as representing more elemental concepts such as sovereignty and justice (yellow), loyalty and vigilance (blue), and valor and generosity (red), or simply the principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity.