Paraguay's flag has different designs on its obverse and reverse sides.
Both sides use the same horizontal red, white, and blue bands, but their central emblems differ. The obverse displays Paraguay's national coat of arms: a yellow star surrounded by palm and olive branches, with the words “República del Paraguay.” The reverse carries the seal of the treasury, showing a lion beneath a red Phrygian cap and the motto “Paz y Justicia,” meaning “Peace and Justice.”
The modern tricolour was adopted in 1842, although Paraguay used other flags during the early years of independence. The colours are commonly associated with independence and liberty and were influenced by the French Tricolour. A 2013 revision restored the emblem designs closer to their historic forms.
Paraguay is widely described as the only national flag with a deliberately different obverse and reverse. This is easy to confuse with flags whose emblems appear mirrored or reversed on the back, but Paraguay actually uses two distinct seals.