We have to admit, a flag over a kilometre long isn’t a bad way to assert national pride.
This one was unfurled earlier this week by Venezuelan military in Caracas, the country’s capital, as part of a protest against US sanctions. It was 10m wide and 1,200 long.
The event, with the slogan”One Flag, One Heart”, was held on 13 April, the 13th anniversary of the failure of a coup against former president Hugo Chavez. In March, President Obama imposed new sanctions against seven Venezuelan officials, and branded the country and its socialist leadership an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to US security. Relations between the two nations have been strained for a long time. To make matters worse, Venezuela ejected three US diplomats from the country in 2013 on charges of promoting violence and conspiring with the country’s extreme right.
But back to that giant flag. If you look closely, the colours on the flag’s stripes aren’t consistent. That’s because the flag is actually a patchwork of fabric scraps collected throughout the country’s 24 states and sewn together by artists, singers and activists. Presumably, it’s meant to demonstrate the country’s unity and diversity.
Sadly, even this enormous effort doesn’t qualify as the largest flag ever made – that honour still belongs to a 101,978 sq m Qatari flag created in 2013.
If you have a ludicrously long thing you’d like to see featured on CityMetric, then drop us a a line. We’re game.
