Flag of Gibraltar

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Flag of Gibraltar is an elongated banner of the Coat of arms of Gibraltar, granted by Royal Warrant Queen Isabella of Castile on the 10th July 1502.

"An escutcheon on which the upper two thirds shall be a white field and on the said field set a red castle, and below the said castle, on the other third of the escutcheon, which must be a red field in which there must be a white line between the castle and the said red field, there shall be a golden key which hangs by a chain from the said castle, as are here figured"

(Quoted from Gibraltar Government Website)

The flag was regularised in 1982 and is formed by two horizontal bands of white (top, double width) and red with a three-towered red castle in the center of the white band; hanging from the castle gate is a gold key centered in the red band. The flag differs from that of other British colonies, in that it is not a British ensign. The castle does not resemble any in Gibraltar, but is supposed to represent the fortress of Gibraltar. The key is said to symbolise the fortress' significance.

The flag is a symbol of Gibraltarian nationalism, and is very popular among Gibraltarians. For National Day, many Gibraltarian households hang the flag from their windows and balconies, and some individuals even wear the flag for national day celebrations. This was also seen during the 2004 celebrations of the tercentenery of British rule. Gibraltarian students at university abroad, have been known to bring Gibraltarian flags with them, putting them up in university accommodation rooms and hanging them from windows.

The Governor of Gibraltar's flag is a Union Flag defaced with the coat of arms.

[edit] See also

• List of Gibraltar flags
• List of British flags
• List of coats of arms of the United Kingdom and dependencies

[edit] External links

• Gibraltar Government Website Information On Flag
• Gibraltar at Flags of the World