Spain Flag

How to identify it

Red, yellow, red horizontal bands where the yellow band is twice as tall as each red one, with the coat of arms placed toward the flagpole side rather than in the centre.

Design and construction

Proportions

2:3

Adoption and legal status

1981 for the current arms; the colour scheme dates from 1785

Construction

Bands in a 1:2:1 ratio. The arms sit centred on the yellow band at one third of the flag's length from the flagpole edge.

Officially documented meaning

The arms combine the quarters of Castile, León, Aragon and Navarre with the pomegranate of Granada, the Bourbon escutcheon, the Pillars of Hercules and the royal crown.

History of the design

Charles III chose the red-yellow-red naval ensign in 1785 so Spanish ships would be recognisable at a distance. The civil version without arms remains in common use.

Sources