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Río Negro Province (Argentina)

Provincia de Río Negro

Last modified: 2021-12-24 by rob raeside
Keywords: río negro | provincia de río negro | quepí |
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[Province of Rio Negro flag] 2:3 image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 17 July 2009
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Provincial flag

The flag is blue, white, green and black. It also have 13 stars symbolizing the 13 departments of the province on the black box in the upper left corner.

The top blue stripe represents the justice, water resources such as the lakes of the [Andes] Cordillera, rivers and irrigation canals.

The central white stands for the union of all the colors.

The green of the bottom stands for hope and wealth of the land to agricultural production-livestock forests and mountain valleys.

The black [canton recalls] the name of the province and the main river that irrigates it.
Federico Javier Russo, 14 Jul 2009

In 1 October of 2009 in Viedma, the Governor of the Province of Rio Negro first hoisted the provincial flag created by provincial law.

The flag of Rio Negro is the result of a contest by the provincial government, The flag represents the whole province, from the mountains to the sea, through the valleys and the plateau, being the symbol of all those who inhabit this province.

The black canton on the upper left is a remembrance of the name of the province, Rio Negro (Black River) and the main River, so that the eye away from the flag, Black River are identified. For its part, the blue color of the upper stripe represents justice, the aquifers that are located throughout the province in the "Cordillera" with its lakes and rivers in the valley with irrigation canals, and east with the southern sea.

The green color of the lower stripe represents hope and the richness of the province, both agricultural and livestock production, its Andean forests, the green of the valleys, which is the product of the fruitful work of the pioneers and existing producers.

The central white stripe is the union of all colors, black that identifies the province and contains the thirteen departments, the dignified blue water is the constant that links the provincial state with perseverance and effort.

Andre Pires Godinho, 4 Jul 2010

Flag contest

The Province of Río Negro is located in the Patagonia. It is one of the "new" Argentine provinces, because it became one in 1957. Before that it was a national territory depending on the Argentine Presidency. Therefore it did not have any historical local flags.

It does not have a provincial flag yet, but it is in the process of adopting one. On December 11, 1997 the provincial law No. 3168 created a special commission in the Provincial Council of Education in order to make a public contest for the creation of a provincial flag. The law is based on a project by the UCR provincial legislator César Barbeito.

The law No.3168 regulated that later a provincial flag law would be made with the design winner of the contest.

According to the annex of the Law No.3168, the contest will be free and the projects would be received at local schools.

This annex also defines the following:

    "La creación de una Bandera que nos represente, obedece a la necesidad del pueblo rionegrino de tener diariamente frente a sí enarbolado un símbolo que represente su historia, su geografía, su trabajo, su cultura y su idiosincrasia para que lo inspire y fortalezca en la tarea cotidiana con valores auténticos, propios, afianzando de esta manera su identidad cultural y aportando al proceso histórico provincial."
    ("The creation of a Flag that represents us, obeys the necessity of the people of Río Negro of having daily a symbol hoist that represents its history, its geography, its work, its culture and its idiosyncrasies in order to be inspired and strengthened in the routine task with own authentic values, guaranteeing in this way its cultural identity and contributing to the provincial historic process.")
The process of adopting a provincial flag has been very slow for years, however since 2005 & 2006 the Governor of the province, new impulse to fulfill the Law. No. 3168 has appeared. However the province does not have its own flag yet.
Francisco Gregoric, 23 Jun 2007

The ADN agency reported on 15 June 2007 that Carlos Peralta, from the Justicialist Party, has urged the Executive of the province to launch a contest for the provincial flag. Bill #3168, passed on 11 December 1997, prescribed that a Special Commission, linked to the Provincial Council for Education, should launch a contest for the design of the provincial flag. Nothing significant had been done in the last eight years regarding that matter. The very same Carlos Peralta, together with other members of the Justicialist Party and of Encuentro, had already complained in March 2005 about the lack of action.
Ivan Sache, 1 Jul 2007

"Radio Noticias" reported on 23 October 2008 a first significant step towards the adoption of a provincial flag. The provincial government, led by Governor Miguel Saiz, shall table on 23 October a bill setting up a special committee aimed at launching a public competition for the design of the provincial flag of Río Negro.

According to Saiz, the competition should be advertized in all the secondary schools of the province to benefit form the youth's fresh and authentic vision of the province, without excluding adults, especially artists and those involved in cultural matters. The addendum to the bill states that the competition, entitled "Creation of the flag of the Province of Río Negro", shall be open to all Argentine citizens older than 15 legally residing in the Province of Río Negro. Provincial employees and their relatives are not allowed to contest. The proposed design shall be completely new and should not have been already used in the past. The winner will earn a diploma and $ 10,000.
Ivan Sache, 26 Oct 2008

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  • Personal communication with Mario Golman.

1969-2009 Provincial coat of arms

[Province of Río Negro 1979-2009 coat of arms]  image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 30 Oct 2008

The coat of arms was created by Decree No. 965 on October 27, 1969. As the details were not completely clear, later the symbolism and construction details were fixed by Law No.1594 on September 22, 1982.

It had an oval shape, blue above and white below. This stands for the will of the province to integrate Argentina. At bottom of the white part, a river that recalled the Río Negro (Black River) that gives its name to the province.

The figure of an Indian from the Comahue watching the horizon (the progress) appeared. The spear stands for strength.

The thirteen white stars stands for the thirteen departments (subdivisions) of the province.

According to the official explanation, the olive branches stands for the pacification made in the region by the desert campaigns and the quepís that recalled the campaigns to the desert that brought the territory into the country. The cross stand for the spiritual and cultural conquest made by Christianity.

In 2009 this coat of arms was derogated, and the original coat of arms was reinstated.

The 1969 model was considered discriminatory by the Mapuche community of Río Negro, because of all the meaning related with the desert campaigns.

It was also said that the original 1963 was derogated by a de facto government (In 1969 the president was General Onganía who had deposed constitutional President Arturo Humberto Illía by a coup of State in 1966. And that this 1969 model was chosen during the same de facto government.
Francisco Gregoric, 31 Aug 2007 and 1 Feb 2011

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