Southern Europe
Portugal
A vertical bicolour of dark green at the hoist and red at fly, with the national coat of arms centered over the color boundary on a yellow armillary sphere. It was adopted in 1911 after the republican revolution.
Adopted
1911
Proportion
2:3
Colours
5
Colours & their meaning
Green
No official symbolism; later popular interpretations linked it to hope.
Red
No official symbolism; later popular interpretations linked it to the revolution and the blood of those who fought for the nation.
Yellow
Part of the armillary sphere; no separate official symbolism for the flag colour itself.
White
Appears in the shield and smaller elements; no separate official symbolism for the flag colour itself.
Blue
Appears in the shield’s smaller escutcheons; no separate official symbolism for the flag colour itself.
Symbols & emblems
Armillary sphere
Represents Portugal’s maritime history and the Age of Discoveries.
National shield
Contains traditional Portuguese heraldic elements associated with the kingdom’s history and victories.
Castles
The seven castles are traditional heraldic charges of Portugal.
Blue shields with bezants
Traditional elements of the Portuguese coat of arms, long associated with the early monarchy.
Did you know?
Portugal changed from the old blue-and-white monarchy flag to green and red after the 1910 republican revolution.