Spain

3×5' nylon national flag of Spain.

Spain's red and gold were chosen for a practical reason. In 1785 King Charles III held a competition for a naval ensign that could be told apart at sea from the many white flags of other Bourbon kingdoms.

Design

Three horizontal bands of red, yellow and red, the yellow twice the height of each red. The national coat of arms sits in the yellow band, set toward the hoist.

History & Symbolism

The naval ensign became the national flag in the nineteenth century. Apart from the Second Republic of 1931 to 1939, which used red, yellow and purple, it has flown ever since. The present coat of arms dates from 1981. It quarters the arms of Castile, León, Aragon and Navarre, with a pomegranate for Granada, under the royal crown, flanked by the Pillars of Hercules and the motto Plus Ultra, "further beyond."

Flag Specifications

• Adopted: 1785; current arms 1981
• Official proportions: 2:3
• Colors: red, yellow
• Emblem: royal coat of arms

Vexillographer's Note

Spain is one of the few countries whose flag has bands of unequal width. The plain red-yellow-red version without arms is widely used by private citizens.

Humphrys Flag Company · Old City Philadelphia · Est. 1864