Flag of Andorra

The civil flag of Andorra, namely the blue-yellow-red tricolor, was adopted in 1866, and the modern national flag, consisting of three equal-sized vertical stripes of blue, yellow and red and the Andorran coat of arms in the center of the flag on the yellow stripe, was officially adopted in 1993.

The flag of Andorra does not have a unique design, but on the contrary, 3 other countries use the blue-yellow-red tricolor. Namely, the flag of Romania and the flag of Chad, which at first glance have a completely unique design and if you do not put them side by side, it will be quite difficult to see the difference. However, they do differ - the Chadian flag has a darker shade of blue than the Romanian flag. Both countries recognize the similarity of their flags, and Chad has even asked the UN to influence Romania to change its flag. The third country with a similar flag is Moldova. Moldova's flag also consists of three vertical stripes of blue, yellow and red, but with its own coat of arms in the center, just like Andorra's flag. The coat of arms of Moldova is a rook's head Argent on a shield with an eight-rayed star between the horns, a heraldic rose and a crescent Argent at the bottom of the shield. Behind the shield is a golden eagle with a cross in its beak, an olive branch in its right talon and a silver scepter in its left.

Meaning of the flag of Andorra

• The blue color is associated with loyalty, truth, wisdom, stability, and symbolizes Andorra's historical ties with France. There is a theory that the blue color symbolizes the horns and hooves of the oxen depicted on the coat of arms of Baern. Combining these interpretations, we can assume that this color symbolizes peaceful and stable relations between Andorra and France;
• The yellow color symbolizes wealth, strength, justice, natural resources, as well as the country's independence and autonomy. The location of the yellow stripe in the middle between the blue and red emphasizes the ability to exist between two great neighbors - France and Spain;
• The red color symbolizes courage, strength, determination and readiness to defend. Red is usually associated with the blood shed for freedom, i.e. the struggle of the Andorran people, and in the context of Andorra's location, namely between two countries, as described in the symbolism of yellow, red reflects the connection with Spain.

The coat of arms of Andorra

In the center of the flag, on a yellow stripe, is the coat of arms of Andorra. The coat of arms of the Principality of Andorra traditionally consists of four houses, two corresponding to each of the two co-princes:

1. Coat of arms of the city of Seu d'Urgell - the Bishopric of Seu de Urgell in the form of a golden mitre and a staff on a red background. The Bishop of Urgell was one of the two co-rulers, and this symbol emphasizes the religious and political influence of the Catholic Church in the history of Andorra;
2. The House of Foix is the coat of arms of the county of Foix (France). It is represented as 3 red by 4 yellow vertical lines. After the Counts of Foix, together with the Bishop of Urquell, took over responsibility for the country, they became an important part of its political system. The coat of arms emphasizes Andorra's historical ties with France;
3. The House of Beirne is the coat of arms of the Vicomte of Beirne. Two red cows on a yellow background, with horns, collar and hooves in blue. This region, located on the territory of modern France, had close ties with Andorra, and red cows symbolize prosperity and wealth, which is closely related to the agricultural economy of the region;
4. The house of Catalonia is the Aragonese crown. The four red and five yellow vertical stripes represent the Kingdom of Aragon (modern Spain), with which Andorra has long historical and political ties.

The coat of arms also has an inscription of the Andorran motto at the bottom: “VIRTUS VNITA FORTIOR”, which translates from Latin as ‘Together we are stronger’.

The history of the Andorran flag

In 1806, the bicolor flag of the county of Foix appeared, with yellow and red colors. It was the first flag of the country we know today as Andorra. However, the colors of the current flag were adopted in 1866, to which a blue stripe was added. This flag was officially approved on July 28, 1971. Its design is attributed to the French Emperor Napoleon III, who ruled from 1852 to 1870.

For many years, the blue-yellow-red tricolor was used alternately in horizontal and vertical forms. The horizontal one had no coat of arms, while the vertical one did. During joint celebrations with France, the horizontal flag was used. The situation changed when Andorra experienced a political crisis after the proclamation of King Boris I in 1934. He officially adopted a horizontal flag, with a crown in the center of a yellow stripe. After the end of Boris I's reign, thirteen days after his inauguration, a vertical flag with the coat of arms was established as the official flag.

Various versions of the modern flag were raised until 1993. In such time periods as 1939-1949, 1949-1959, and 1959-1971, the modern flag was essentially already in place. Only the coat of arms was subject to change and the motto of Andorra appeared: "VIRTUS VNITA FORTIOR". After the adoption of the Constitution of Andorra in 1993 and its accession to the United Nations, the use of the flag was officially enshrined in law in 1996. The coat of arms was placed in the center of a vertical yellow stripe.