Bandera Bicentenario, National flagpole at Plaza de la Ciudadanía, Santiago, Chile

The Bandera Bicentenario is a monumental Chilean flag on a galvanized steel mast in the central median of the Alameda del Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins, at Plaza de la Ciudadanía in Santiago. The nylon flag measures 27 meters long and 18 meters wide and weighs 200 kilograms. The mast rises 61 meters and is made of six conical sections of 12 meters each, joined from inside; its foundation reaches 18 meters deep and surrounds Metro Line 1.

The Bandera Bicentenario was inaugurated on September 17, 2010, to mark 200 years since the start of Chilean independence. It was first raised by a group of children from different regions of the country. The flag was made by the American company U. S. Flag & Flagpole Supply, and its marble base bears an inscription signed by President Sebastián Piñera.

On the first Sunday of each month, a flag-raising ceremony takes place at the pole, with the Mounted Instrumental Band of the Cavalry Regiment playing the Chilean national anthem. Locals and visitors gather in the open square to watch this monthly ritual together.

The pole stands on the Plaza de la Ciudadanía, an open square near the center of Santiago that is easy to reach by Metro Line 1. The area can get crowded on national holidays and during large public events, so arriving early helps for a better view.

The nylon flag was made in the United States and then brought to Chile for its first raising. Children from different regions of the country took part in that first ceremony, giving the event a nationwide character from the very start.