The curved band carrying Brazil’s motto is white. It crosses the blue celestial globe at the center of the national flag and bears the green words “Ordem e Progresso,” meaning “Order and Progress.”
Brazil adopted this design on 19 November 1889, shortly after the republic replaced the constitutional monarchy. The flag retained the earlier green field and yellow diamond, but replaced the imperial coat of arms with a blue starry globe and the motto associated with French positivist philosopher Auguste Comte.
The band is sometimes mistaken for a depiction of the equator, celestial equator, ecliptic, or even the Amazon River. The flag’s exact geometry is legally specified, and the stars represent Brazil’s federal units. Its current design has 27 stars, while the white band remains one of the flag’s most recognizable features.