Flag of Spain
The Spain flag has three horizontal stripes: red, a double-width yellow band and red again, with the national coat of arms on the yellow stripe near the hoist. It began as a naval flag in 1785, chosen so ships could be recognized from afar.
What the flag of Spain looks like
The Spanish flag is made of three horizontal bands. The red bands at the top and bottom are each a quarter of the height, and the yellow band between them takes up the remaining half. The yellow is traditionally called gualda, a name that goes back to a plant used to make yellow dye. The usual proportions are 2:3.
The coat of arms is placed on the yellow band, shifted toward the hoist so it is not lost in the folds of a flying flag. The shield is divided into quarters showing the old kingdoms: a castle for Castile, a lion for León, red and gold bars for Aragon and chains for Navarre. A pomegranate for Granada sits at the point, and a small oval in the center carries the three fleurs-de-lis of the House of Bourbon. On either side stand the Pillars of Hercules, with a ribbon reading Plus Ultra ("further beyond"), and a royal crown tops the shield.
Spain has more than one version in practice. The flag with the coat of arms is the state flag. A plain red-yellow-red flag without the shield is widely used by citizens and for civil purposes, and that is the one most often seen at sporting events.
Spain flag colors
Color codes measured from the official design. Use HEX for the web and CMYK for print.
HEX
#AD1519RGB
173, 21, 25CMYK
0, 88, 86, 32 HEX
#FABD00RGB
250, 189, 0CMYK
0, 24, 100, 2 Spain flag meaning and symbolism
The red and yellow of the Spanish flag come from the old arms of the Crown of Aragon, which used red and gold stripes, and from the Castilian royal tradition. There is no official explanation for the colors. Popular readings link the red to blood and courage and the yellow to the gold of the land, but these are interpretations, not part of the law.
The shield is where the symbolism is clearest. It shows the unification of the medieval kingdoms that form the modern state, with the Bourbon lilies added as a mark of the ruling dynasty. The Pillars of Hercules refer to the Strait of Gibraltar, and the motto Plus Ultra recalls the voyages to the Americas, since the older Latin warning said there was nothing beyond the Pillars.
Several regions of Spain use flags built on the same red and yellow, such as the red and yellow bars of Catalonia, which come from the old Aragonese arms. For other European flags, see flags of Europe.
History of the Spanish flag
For centuries Spain's ships sailed under white flags with the Bourbon arms, which looked much like the flags of other Bourbon states, including France. In 1785 King Charles III decreed a new naval ensign with a red-yellow-red design (the decree is dated 28 May 1785). The change was made so that Spanish vessels could be identified in battle, and the colors were taken from the arms of the crown.
The red and yellow flag became the national flag over land as well in the 1840s, under Isabella II. During the First Republic (1873-74) the flag stayed much the same, apart from the removal of the crown. The Second Republic, proclaimed in 1931, added a purple-violet band to make a red-yellow-purple tricolor, which became a symbol of the republican side in the civil war.
The red-yellow-red flag was brought back by the Nationalist side during the civil war, and from 1938 it carried a coat of arms held by the eagle of Saint John. A slightly modified version of that eagle shield was adopted in 1977, and it was replaced by the current coat of arms in 1981, after the 1978 constitution said that the flag is red, yellow and red, with the yellow stripe twice the width of each red one.
Spain flag facts
| Country | Spain |
|---|---|
| Flag adopted | December 19, 1981 |
| Proportions | 2:3 |
| Colors | #AD1519, #FABD00 |
| Symbols | Coat of arms of Spain, fess, field |
| Flag emoji | 🇪🇸 |
| Country code | ES, ESP (ISO 3166) |
| Capital | Madrid |
| Continent | Europe |
| Population | 48,592,909 |
| Area | 505,990 km² |
Spain flag: frequently asked questions
Are there two flags for Spain?
There are two common versions. The state flag shows the coat of arms on the yellow stripe, and the civil flag is the same three stripes without the shield. Both use the same colors and layout.
Why did Spain change its flag?
The red-yellow-red design was created in 1785 for the navy, and the colors have been the same since, apart from the Second Republic's purple stripe in 1931-39. Most changes affected only the coat of arms, after the Franco era in particular.
What is a fun fact about the Spain flag?
Its design began as a ship's flag. The navy needed a banner that could not be mistaken for the white Bourbon flags of other countries, so Charles III chose red and yellow.
What flag is the 🇪🇸 emoji?
The 🇪🇸 emoji is the flag of Spain. Letter pairs make up flag emoji, and ES is Spain's country code. You can see it on the Spain flag emoji page.
How many Spanish-speaking countries are there?
Spanish is an official language in 20 sovereign countries, and also in Puerto Rico, a US territory. Each has its own flag, for example Argentina.
