The national flag of El Salvador, officially named the Bandera Magna (Spanish for "Great Flag"), is a horizontal triband of blue-white-blue, with the national coat of arms centered and entirely contained within the central white stripe. The current flag was adopted by the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador on 24 March 1916, and its design is established by the Law of National Symbols approved in 1972. The flag is inspired by the flag of the Federal Republic of Central America, which itself was inspired by the flag of Argentina. From 1865 to 1912, the flag of El Salvador resembled that of the United States, consisting of a red canton, nine alternating blue and white stripes, and white stars in the canton equal to the number of departments. Wikipedia