Manaus (Amazonas, Brazil)

OK, I'll start these series with one of the flags I liked most: Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state and biggest city of Brazilian Amazon. First, let's look at Manaus flag:

I've said before how this coat of arms is wrong: shield with wrong shape, the crest isn't an usual element in Brazilian municipal heraldry, no mural crown, landmark never is an excellent idea, etc. By the way, the Portuguese flag in second canton, that should represent the colonials, is anachronistic: Portugal only adopted it in 1911 (Brazil is an independent country since 1822).

So I needed to decide what I'd use to represent Manaus in the flag. My first thought was the Municipal Theater, a splendid heritage from the times Manaus was one of the richest cities of the Americas (early 20th century). I think we could change something easier of being drawn. In the end, I was between the Victoria amazonica and the Meeting of Waters; I chose the last. It's the result:

It's a good opportunity to explain what's the Meeting of Waters. It's the place where Rio Negro (biggest Amazon river tributary and biggest dark water river in the world) meets Rio Solimões (the name Amazon river receives from the Brazilian borders to there), creating an amazing landmark because, as the two rivers has different densities, temperatures, etc., they flow together for kilometers before mixing their waters.

In the flag, the flag part represent the Rio Negro (literally, "Black River") and the orange represents the Rio Solimões (of muddy look). The green represents the Amazon forest that gives many treasures to the city. A very geometrical and colorful design. I like it.

Your comment is welcome. Please, leave a comment.
Probably, the next flag is Fiji. Wait!