The flag of Gibraltar
Flag of Gibraltar · since 1982
Back to GibraltarA banner of the arms of Gibraltar: white over red, with a red three-towered castle on the white and a gold key hanging from its gate into the red. The arms were granted by Isabella I of Castile in 1502, and the flag was formally established on 8 November 1982. It is the only flag of a British Overseas Territory with no Union Flag in it.
At a glance
- Adopted
- 1982
- Proportion
- 1:2
- Colours
- Earlier flags
- 3
The colours
The colours of the flag of Gibraltar, in the order it has them
- 0158.7%
White
Upper band, the field of the castle
- HEX
#FFFFFF- RGB
255 255 255- CMYK
0 0 0 0
- 0241.3%
Red
Lower band, the castle
- HEX
#DA000C- RGB
218 0 12- CMYK
0 100 100 0- Pantone
485 C- RAL
3020
No law gives these codes. HEX and RGB are the colour this site draws the flag in; CMYK, Pantone and RAL are the values most often published for it.
Construction
How the flag is drawn
Two horizontal bands, white over red, the white twice the width of the red. In the centre of the white band stands a red three-towered, two-tiered castle, each tower with a door and a window; from the gate of the middle tower hangs a gold key, centred in the red band.
- Bands
- Two, white over red; the white takes the upper two thirds and the red the lower third
- Castle
- Red, three towers on two tiers, centred in the white band
- Key
- Gold, hanging by a chain from the gate of the middle tower and centred in the red band
- Official model
- A simplified castle with no stonework and upright walls, supplied by the Government of Gibraltar in 2003
Other forms
- State ensign
- The Blue Ensign with the Union Flag in the canton and the badge of Gibraltar in the fly. The present design dates from 1999.
- Civil ensign
- The Red Ensign with the Union Flag in the canton and the badge of Gibraltar in the fly, adopted in 1996.
- Flag of the governor
- The Union Flag defaced with the coat of arms. The present design dates from 1999.
Meaning
What each part stands for
- Castle
- The fortress of Gibraltar. It does not resemble any castle actually standing in Gibraltar
- Key
- Gibraltar as the key to Spain, as the Moors and the Spanish saw it, and later as the key to the Mediterranean, as the British saw it
History
How the flag of Gibraltar got here
- 1875
The first government ensign
1875 → 1921
A Blue Ensign with a badge in the fly. In 1875 the colony told the Admiralty that the badge in its flag book differed from the device on the colony's seal.
- 1921
The ensign of 1921
1921 → 1939
The Blue Ensign with a different badge. In a despatch of September 1926 Sir Charles Monro recommended that the arms granted in 1502 be treated as the proper arms of Gibraltar.
- 1939
The ensign of 1939
1939 → 1999
Before the banner of arms was established, the Blue Ensign of the colony served as the flag of Gibraltar. It remained the government ensign until 1999.
- 1982
The banner of armsIn use
8 Nov 1982 → today
The white and red flag with the castle and key had been in traditional use long before, and William Crampton dated its official introduction to 1966. It was formally established on 8 November 1982.
The law
What defines it, and who flies it
- 10 July 1502
Royal Warrant of Isabella I of Castile
Grants the arms the flag is drawn from: a white field over two thirds with a red castle, a red third below separated by a white line, and a golden key hanging by a chain from the castle.
- 19 March 1996
Merchant Shipping (Gibraltar Colours) Order, No. 281
Its schedule shows the castle and key used on the civil ensign, which the official model of the flag closely matches.
In use
Established in 1982 for use inside Gibraltar and, together with the Union Flag, abroad on occasions when Gibraltar's own identity is represented
Flown throughout Gibraltar, sometimes officially alongside the Union Flag and the Commonwealth Flag
Flown at the frontier with Spain, at the top of the Rock and on the Parliament Building
Hung from homes and offices for National Day on 10 September
Related flags
The flags it is confused with or comes from
United Kingdom- Every other British Overseas Territory flies an ensign with the Union Flag in the canton. Gibraltar's flag has none, and the Union Flag is flown beside it.
Coat of arms
The arms of Gibraltar
