Andorra

Information about the Andorran Flag: Colors and Meaning of the Flag of Andorra

:: Meaning of the Andorran Flag ::

The Andorran flag contains three vertical bands – blue, on the hoist side; yellow, in the middle; and a red band on the right side, with the national coat of arms centered in the yellow band. Although the three vertical bands may at first appear to be of equal width, the yellow band is slightly wider than the other two so that the ratio of band widths is 8:9:8. The Andorran flag resembles the flags of Chad and Romania, which do not have a national coat of arms in the center, and the flag of Moldova, which does bear a national emblem. However, unlike that of Andorra, the flags of Chad, Romania and Moldova have stripes of equal width.

The coat of arms of Andorra, which appears on the Andorran flag since 1969, features a quartered shield with the emblems of (starting in the upper left and proceeding clockwise): La Seu d’Urgell, Foix, Béarn, and Catalonia; the motto reads VIRTUS UNITA FORTIOR (United Virtue is Stronger).

The Andorran flag combines the blue and red French colors with the red and yellow of Spain, which relates to the fact that both France and Spain have historically protected the independence of the small principality.