Flag of Spain

Country

Flag of Spain uses horizontal triband with a double-width yellow band and the coat of arms. Ratio 2:3 and current adoption December 19, 1981.

Hoist Ratio 2:3 Fly

Flag Reference

Flag	Flag of Spain
Entity Type	Country
Official Name	Kingdom of Spain
Identifier	ES / ESP
Region	Southern Europe

Flag Specifications

Current Adoption	December 19, 1981
First Documented Use	1785
Proportion	2:3
Shape	Rectangle
Colours	Red, Yellow
Construction	Horizontal triband with a double-width yellow band and the coat of arms
Common Name	La Rojigualda

Documented Colour Values

Colour	Appearance	HEX	RGB	CMYK
Red		#AA151B	170, 21, 27	0, 88, 84, 33
Yellow		#F1BF00	241, 191, 0	0, 21, 100, 5

Design and Symbolism

Red	the outer bands.
Yellow	the wide central band.
Pillars of Hercules	Two columns with the motto “Plus Ultra” — Further Beyond.
Quartered shield	Castile, León, Aragon, Navarre and Granada, the historic kingdoms of Spain.
Origin	Chosen in 1785 for the navy because red and yellow were visible far out at sea.

Proportions

Ratio	2:3
Hoist	2 units
Fly	3 units

About the Flag of Spain

Horizontal triband with a double-width yellow band and the coat of arms The recorded proportion is 2:3. Within this library it is grouped with horizontal tricolour designs.

Colours and construction

The reference palette stored for Spain is Red (#AA151B) and Yellow (#F1BF00). The colour table above is intended for digital reference; where an issuing authority publishes a different colour standard, that specification takes precedence.

Symbols and recorded meaning

Pillars of Hercules: Two columns with the motto “Plus Ultra” — Further Beyond; Quartered shield: Castile, León, Aragon, Navarre and Granada, the historic kingdoms of Spain; Origin: Chosen in 1785 for the navy because red and yellow were visible far out at sea.

History and adoption record

The design record traces first use to 1785. The adoption field for the present record is December 19, 1981.

Additional flag context

The wide yellow band takes up half the flag's height, an arrangement chosen in 1785 so that Spanish ships could be identified at a distance from other red-and-white European ensigns.

The Pillars of Hercules in the coat of arms carry the motto Plus Ultra — further beyond — a deliberate reversal of the older warning that nothing lay past Gibraltar.

The civil flag has no arms. The version with them is the state flag, and the two are used in different contexts by law.

How to identify this flag

For quick identification, look for Horizontal triband with a double-width yellow band and the coat of arms, a 2:3 proportion and the visible pillars of Hercules. Use the comparison and design-family links on this page when another flag has a similar palette or layout.

Verification sources

Flags of the World — Spain — Specialist vexillological reference

Other horizontal tricolour flags

See all

Facts about the Flag of Spain

Spain is recorded as horizontal triband with a double-width yellow band and the coat of arms.
The reference proportion for the flag of Spain is 2:3.
The stored palette for Spain contains Red and Yellow.
The adoption field for this country flag record is December 19, 1981.
The design record traces first use to 1785.
Its construction is grouped with the horizontal tricolour design family in this library.
Pillars of Hercules: Two columns with the motto “Plus Ultra” — Further Beyond.
Quartered shield: Castile, León, Aragon, Navarre and Granada, the historic kingdoms of Spain.
The wide yellow band takes up half the flag's height, an arrangement chosen in 1785 so that Spanish ships could be identified at a distance from other red-and-white European ensigns.
The Pillars of Hercules in the coat of arms carry the motto Plus Ultra — further beyond — a deliberate reversal of the older warning that nothing lay past Gibraltar.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Flag of Spain

What does the flag of Spain look like?

Horizontal triband with a double-width yellow band and the coat of arms, with a recorded proportion of 2:3.

What proportion is recorded for the flag of Spain?

The reference proportion stored for this flag is 2:3.

Which colours are recorded for the flag of Spain?

The reference palette lists Red #AA151B and Yellow #F1BF00.

What do the symbols on the flag of Spain represent?

Pillars of Hercules — Two columns with the motto “Plus Ultra” — Further Beyond. Quartered shield — Castile, León, Aragon, Navarre and Granada, the historic kingdoms of Spain. Origin — Chosen in 1785 for the navy because red and yellow were visible far out at sea.

When was the present flag record for Spain adopted?

The adoption field in this record is December 19, 1981.

Which design family does the flag of Spain belong to?

WorldFlags.online groups it with horizontal tricolour designs for visual browsing; that classification describes construction, not necessarily historical ancestry.

Where can I verify information about the flag of Spain?

The verification-source section on this page links to an official, governmental or specialist reference used to check the underlying record. Source wording is not copied into the article.