Wales

3×5' nylon flag of Wales.

Y Ddraig Goch, the Red Dragon, is one of the oldest emblems in Europe still in use. Few flags make a bolder impression.

Design

A red dragon passant on a field divided horizontally, white above and green below.

History & Symbolism

The red dragon appears in the ninth-century Historia Brittonum, in the legend of a red dragon of the Britons defeating a white dragon of the Saxons. Green and white were the livery colors of the House of Tudor. Henry Tudor, of Welsh descent, carried a red dragon banner at Bosworth in 1485 on his way to becoming Henry VII. The present flag was officially recognized in 1959.

Flag Specifications

• Officially recognized: 1959
• Official proportions: none fixed; 3:5 and 1:2 are common
• Colors: red, white, green
• Emblem: red dragon passant

Vexillographer's Note

Wales is the only nation of the United Kingdom not represented in the Union Flag. Its dragon has been drawn in many styles, and the 1959 recognition did not fix a single version.

Humphrys Flag Company · Old City Philadelphia · Est. 1864