Europe · PT / PRT
Flag of Portugal
The Portugal flag is divided vertically into green and red, with the national coat of arms and a golden armillary sphere where the two colors meet. It was adopted after the 1910 revolution that ended the monarchy.
What the flag of Portugal looks like
The flag of Portugal has two vertical fields: green at the hoist, covering two-fifths of the length, and red at the fly, covering the other three-fifths. The proportion of the flag is 2:3. The emblem sits on the dividing line, centered vertically, so that it overlaps both colors.
The emblem has two parts. The background is a yellow armillary sphere, a navigational instrument made of metal rings that shows the celestial sphere. On top of it is the national shield, which is white with a red border. The border contains seven yellow castles. The inside of the shield has five small blue shields (called quinas) arranged in a cross, each carrying five white dots. The crown that topped the royal arms was dropped in 1910.
The uneven split and the armillary sphere make the flag easy to recognize. A smaller version of the same design is used for the Portugal flag emoji.
Portugal flag colors
Color codes measured from the official design. Use HEX for the web and CMYK for print.
HEX
#ED1C24RGB
237, 28, 36CMYK
0, 88, 85, 7HEX
#006035RGB
0, 96, 53CMYK
100, 0, 45, 62Portugal flag meaning and symbolism
In the years after the revolution, green was popularly explained as the hope of the nation, and red as the blood of those who died defending it. Neither meaning is written into law. Politically, red and green had been the colors of the Republican Party since the failed republican insurrection of 31 January 1891, and they replaced the blue and white of the old monarchy.
The armillary sphere recalls the Age of Discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries, when Portuguese sailors used it to navigate the oceans. King Manuel I, who ruled during that period, incorporated it into his personal banner.
The shield is the older element. The five blue quinas are said to stand for the five Moorish kings defeated by Afonso Henriques in the legendary Battle of Ourique in 1139, and the white dots represent the wounds of Christ or, in another reading, the thirty pieces of silver (when the central shield is counted twice). The seven castles are traditionally linked to fortresses taken from the Moors in the Algarve under Afonso III in the 13th century, although this explanation is weakly founded and the red border with castles may come from his family ties with Castile.
History of the Portuguese flag
The flag that Portugal has now is more recent than the shield on it. The kingdom's early banners showed a blue cross on a white field, and by the late 12th century the cross had become the five blue quinas. In the 13th century the royal arms added the red border with castles, and the number of castles was fixed at seven for good in 1578. In 1830 the flag's white field was changed to blue and white, the national colors at that time, still bearing the royal coat of arms and a crown.
The monarchy fell in the revolution of 5 October 1910. A commission was set up on 15 October 1910 to choose the new flag, including the painter Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro, the journalist João Chagas and the writer Abel Botelho. The flag was presented on 1 December 1910, and the decree making it official was approved by the Constituent Assembly and published in June 1911. There was conflict over the colors: supporters of the republican red and green faced opposition from supporters of the traditional royal blue and white.
The design has not changed since then. The geometry of the sphere and shield is set out in the regulations, but the specific shades of each color are not set out in any legal document, so they vary from display to display.
Portugal flag facts
| Country | Portugal |
|---|---|
| Flag adopted | June 30, 1911 |
| Proportions | 2:3 |
| Colors | #ED1C24, #006035 |
| Symbols | coat of arms of Portugal |
| Flag emoji | 🇵🇹 |
| Country code | PT, PRT (ISO 3166) |
| Capital | Lisbon |
| Continent | Europe |
| Population | 10,347,892 |
| Area | 92,225 km² |
Portugal flag: frequently asked questions
What does the symbol on the Portugal flag mean?
The armillary sphere recalls the Portuguese voyages of the Age of Discovery. The shield behind it is the old national coat of arms, with five blue quinas and seven castles.
When did Portugal change its flag?
The current flag was presented on 1 December 1910 and made official by a decree of June 1911, after the 1910 revolution that overthrew the monarchy. Before that, Portugal flew a blue and white flag with the royal arms and a crown.
What is the old name for Portugal?
The name is generally traced to the Roman town of Portus Cale, near today's Porto. The area was part of the Roman province of Lusitania, and the Portuguese are still sometimes called Lusitanians.
What are the five blue shields on the flag called?
They are called quinas. The five blue shields, each with five white dots, are said to represent the five wounds of Christ and are popularly associated with the Miracle of Ourique in 1139.
What country is 🇵🇹?
It is Portugal. The Portugal flag emoji is made from the letters P and T and shows the green and red fields with the yellow armillary sphere and shield.
What is the deeper meaning of the flag?
The green and red are popularly read as hope and the blood of those who died for the nation, and were the republican colors of 1910. The armillary sphere recalls the Age of Discovery, and the shield holds the five quinas and seven castles from the old royal arms.
Is Portugal part of Spain or its own country?
Portugal is its own country. Afonso Henriques proclaimed himself king after the Battle of Ourique in 1139. Portugal was ruled by Spanish kings from 1580 but as a separate state, and regained independence from Spain in 1640.
What is Portugal's main color?
Red covers the larger part of the flag, three-fifths of its length, and green covers two-fifths. The flag also carries yellow in the armillary sphere and white and blue in the shield.
