The green field and yellow rhombus from the previous imperial flag were preserved (though slightly modified in hue and shape).

[1] A blue circle with white five-pointed stars replaced the arms of the Empire of Brazil –its position in the flag reflects the sky over the city of Rio de Janeiro on 15 November 1889.

The first Brazilian vexillological symbols were private maritime flags used by Portuguese merchant ships that sailed to Brazil.

Despite representing the entire Portuguese empire, the armillary sphere began to be used more extensively in Brazil – the largest and most developed colony at the time – not only in maritime flags, but also on coins and other media.

[5] The green and yellow colors represented the dynastic houses of Pedro I and his consort Maria Leopoldina of Austria.

It was flown from 15 to 19 November 1889, when marshal Deodoro da Fonseca (acting as provisional president of Brazil) vetoed the design, citing concerns that it looked too similar to the flag of another country.

[6] Raimundo Teixeira Mendes presented a project in which the imperial coat of arms was replaced by a blue celestial globe and the positivist motto.

The flag was designed by a group formed by Raimundo Teixeira Mendes, Miguel Lemos, Manuel Pereira Reis and Décio Villares.

The center of the arcs of the white band is two modules (2 m) to the left of the meeting point of the extended vertical diameter of the circle with the base of the outer frame.

[12] Paulo Araújo Duarte of the Federal University of Santa Catarina claims that "the creators of our republican flag intended to represent the stars in the sky at Rio de Janeiro at 8:30 in the morning on 15 November 1889, the moment at which the constellation of the Southern Cross was on the meridian of Rio de Janeiro and the longer arm [of the cross] was vertical".

The star Spica is the only one above the white band; it symbolises part of Brazilian territory in the northern hemisphere (and the State of Pará).

Its unique position in the sky of the southern hemisphere represents the stability of the Federal District in the Brazilian union.

The values listed below can be found in the files available for download from the Brazilian government website:[17] In 2021, the movement "Amor na Bandeira" (in English, Love in the Flag)[18][19] proposed to update the flag's motto from "Ordem e Progresso" to "Amor, Ordem e Progresso" (Love, Order and Progress), in allusion to the motto of positivism "L'amour pour principe et l'ordre pour base; le progrès pour but" (Love as a principle and order as the basis; progress as the goal), formulated by the French philosopher Augusto Comte, which inspired the original motto in the flag.

One of the main proponents of the movement was the politician Eduardo Suplicy, who had previously supported bill PL 2179/2003 by Deputy Chico Alencar, which had the same goal.

The flag must be raised and lowered daily at the presidential palaces (Palácio do Planalto and Palácio da Alvorada); ministries; National Congress; Supreme Federal Tribunal; Supreme Court of Justice; seats of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches; diplomatic missions; Federal, state and local institutions; and merchant navy units.

Em teu seio formoso retratasEste céu de puríssimo azul,A verdura sem par destas matas,E o esplendor do Cruzeiro do Sul.

(Chorus) Contemplando o teu vulto sagrado,Compreendemos o nosso dever,E o Brasil por seus filhos amado,Poderoso e feliz há de ser!

In thy beauteous bosom thou portrayestThis sky of purest blue,The peerless greenness of these forests,And the splendor of the Southern Cross.

(Chorus) Beholding thy sacred shadow,We understand our duty,And Brazil, loved by its children,Powerful and happy shall be!

(Chorus) Over the immense Brazilian Nation,In times of happiness or grief,Hover always, o sacred flag,Pavilion of justice and love!

[26] The President Standard [pt] is a dark green rectangle (ratio 2:3) holding the national coat of arms on its center.

The Brazilian naval jack (jaque) is a rectangular flag (ratio 3:4) bearing 21 white stars on a dark blue field – a horizontal row of 13 and a vertical column of 9, orthogonally displayed.

Those colours would represent the major groups of Brazilian population, red being the natives, white the European settlers and immigrants and black the Africans.