Flag of Gibraltar

British overseas territory flag

Gibraltar

Flag of Gibraltar
Use| Civil and state flag
Proportion| 1:2
Adopted| 8 November 1982
Design| A white field with a red stripe at the bottom with a three-towered, two-tiered red castle in the white section. Each tower has a door and a window and from the door of the middle tower hangs a gold key which mainly overlaps the red stripe.
Union Flag
Use| Other
Proportion| 1:2
Design| Flag of the United Kingdom
State ensign of Gibraltar
Use| State ensign
Proportion| 1:2
Adopted| 1999 (1939)
Design| Blue Ensign with the Union Flag in the canton and the badge of Gibraltar in the fly.
Civil ensign of Gibraltar
Use| Civil ensign
Proportion| 1:2
Adopted| 1998
Design| Red Ensign with the Union Flag in the canton and the badge of Gibraltar in the fly.
Flag of the governor of Gibraltar
Use| Other
Proportion| 1:2
Adopted| 1999 (1982)
Design| A Union Flag defaced with the coat of arms.

The flag of Gibraltar is an elongated banner of arms based on the coat of arms of Gibraltar, granted by Royal Warrant from Queen Isabella I of Castile on 10 July 1502.[1] The flag of Gibraltar is unique as it is the only British Overseas Territory which does not feature the Union Jack in any form, although the latter is widely flown as a standalone flag within the territory.

## Description

[edit]

Flag of Gibraltar atop a building

> "An escutcheon on which the upper two thirds shall be a white field and on the said field set a red castle, and below the said castle, on the other third of the escutcheon, which must be a red field in which there must be a white line between the castle and the said red field, there shall be a golden key which hangs by a chain from the said castle, as are here figured".[2]

The flag was regularised in 1982 and is formed by two horizontal bands of white (top, double width) and red with a three-towered red castle in the centre of the white band;[3] hanging from the castle gate is a gold key centred in the red band. The flag differs from that of other British overseas territories, in that it is not a British ensign nor does it feature the Union Jack in any form. The castle does not resemble any in Gibraltar but is supposed to represent the fortress of Gibraltar. The key is said to symbolise the fortress' significance as Gibraltar was seen to be the key to Spain by the Moors and Spanish and later as the key to the Mediterranean by the British.[4]

## Use

[edit]

The flag is flown throughout Gibraltar, sometimes officially alongside the Union Flag and the Commonwealth Flag. Prominent places which fly the flag include the frontier with Spain, at the top of The Rock and on the Parliament Building.[5]

The flag is a symbol of Gibraltarian nationalism and is very popular among Gibraltarians. For the Gibraltar National Day (10 September), many Gibraltar homes and offices hang the flag from their windows and balconies, and some individuals even wear and dress their vehicles with the flag for national day celebrations. This was also seen during the 2004 celebrations of the tercentenary of British Gibraltar.[citation needed]

Gibraltarian students attending university abroad have been known to take Gibraltarian flags with them, putting them up in university accommodation rooms and hanging them from windows.[citation needed]

A Lego flag of Gibraltar 4 metres (10') high and 8 metres (30') long can be seen at the John Mackintosh Hall, which is a cultural centre housing the public library as well as exhibition rooms and a theatre. At the time of its construction, the Lego flag of Gibraltar was the largest flag ever to be made from Lego bricks with a total of 393,857 bricks being used.[6][verification needed]

## Historical flags

[edit]

### Government Ensigns

[edit]

* Government Ensign (1875–1921)

* Government Ensign (1921–1939)

* Government Ensign (1939–1999)

### Governor's flags

[edit]

* Governor of Gibraltar (1875–1939)

* Governor of Gibraltar (1939–1982)

* Governor of Gibraltar (1982–1999)

## Other flags

[edit]

* Royal Gibraltar Yacht Club

* Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe

## See also

[edit]

* List of United Kingdom flags
* List of coats of arms of the United Kingdom and dependencies

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Gibraltar Flag, Colors, Gibraltar Flag Meaning, Pictures, Facts". Altiusdirectory.com. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
2. ^ "National symbols - Government of Gibraltar". Gibraltar.gov.gi. Archived from the original on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
3. ^ "Flag of Gibraltar, Gibraltar Flag, National Flag of Gibraltar". Senojflags.com. Archived from the original on 16 October 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
4. ^ "The Flag of Gibraltar". flagdb.com. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
5. ^ "britishflags.net- Gibraltar". Britishflags.net. Archived from the original on 18 October 2009. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
6. ^ "Gibraltar Sightseeing and Attractions". Gibraltar.com. Retrieved 24 January 2018.

## External links

[edit]

* Media related to Flags of Gibraltar at Wikimedia Commons
* Gibraltar at Flags of the World
* Gibraltar Government Website Information On Flag

* v
* t
* e

Gibraltar topics

History

* Neanderthals in Gibraltar
* Timeline (sieges)
* Pillars of Hercules
* First Siege of Gibraltar
* Battle of Gibraltar
* Capture of Gibraltar
* George Rooke
* Treaty of Utrecht
* Thirteenth Siege of Gibraltar
* Great Siege
* George Augustus Eliott
* Gibraltar real (currency)
* World War II
* Nationality
* Genoese in Gibraltar
* Maltese in Gibraltar
* Explosion of the RFA Bedenham
* Operation Flavius (Death on the Rock)
* Aurora incident
* New Flame incident
* Fedra incident
* COVID-19

Geography

| General|

* Climate
* Geology
* Azores–Gibraltar Transform Fault
* Gibraltar Arc

|

Environment|

* Birds
* Mammals
* Barbary macaques
* Reptiles and amphibians
* Candytuft (Iberis gibraltarica)
* Botanic Gardens
* Ornithological & Natural History Society (GONHS)
* Wildlife Park

Places|

| Natural|

* Bay of Gibraltar
* Catalan Bay
* Eastern Beach
* Gorham's Cave
* Rock of Gibraltar
* St. Michael's Cave
* Sandy Bay
* Strait of Gibraltar
* Vanguard Cave
* Windmill Hill

|

Built|

* Bristol Hotel
* City Hall
* The Convent
* Garrison Library
* King George V Hospital
* Moorish Castle
* The Rock Hotel
* St. Bernard's Hospital

Politics

| General|

* Constitution Order
* 1969
* 2006
* Law
* court system
* LGBT rights
* Passport
* Political development in modern Gibraltar

|

People|

* Chief Minister
* Governor
* Mayor

Politics|

* Black Swan Project controversy
* Disputed status
* isthmus
* Elections
* 2007
* 2011
* 2015
* 2019
* 2023
* Parliament
* Speaker
* Political parties
* Sovereignty referendums
* 1967
* 2002
* EU referendum
* European Union (Referendum) Act 2016 (Gibraltar)

Military|

* British Forces Gibraltar
* Gibraltar Defence Police
* Gibraltar Squadron
* Napier of Magdala Battery
* RAF Gibraltar
* Royal Gibraltar Police
* Royal Gibraltar Regiment

Economy

| General|

* Banks
* Gibraltar pound
* coins
* Stock Exchange
* Taxation
* Tourism

|

Communications|

* .gi (Internet domain)
* Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation
* Gibraltar Chronicle
* Gibtelecom
* Panorama
* Regulatory Authority
* Royal Gibraltar Post Office
* postage stamps and history
* postal orders
* Study Circle
* Telephone numbers

Transport|

* Airport
* Cable car
* Gibraltar–Spain border
* Shipping in Gibraltar
* Vehicle registration plates

Culture

| General|

* Cuisine
* Education
* Bayside Comprehensive School
* Westside School
* University of Gibraltar
* Miss Gibraltar
* Music
* Llévame Donde Nací
* Gibraltar Fair
* National Day
* Public holidays
* Scouting and Guiding in Gibraltar

|

Demographics|

* Gibraltarians
* list
* in the UK
* Gibraltarian status
* Languages
* English
* Llanito

Religion|

| Christianity|

* Anglicanism
* Diocese in Europe
* Bishop diocesan
* Bishop suffragan
* Cathedral of the Holy Trinity
* St. Andrew's Church (Church of Scotland)
* Methodism
* Roman Catholicism
* Diocese
* Bishop
* Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned
* Our Lady of Europe
* Shrine of Our Lady of Europe
* Trafalgar Cemetery

|

Other faiths|

* Hinduism
* Islam
* Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque
* Judaism
* Great Synagogue

Sport|

| By sport|

* Basketball
* Cricket
* national team
* Cycling
* Field hockey
* national team
* Football
* Football Association
* national team
* Rugby union
* national team
* Campo Gibraltar RUFC

|

* Commonwealth Games
* Island Games
* Records in athletics
* Victoria Stadium

Symbols|

* Anthem
* Coat of arms
* Official flag
* other flags

* Category
* Commons
* Portal
* WikiProject

* v
* t
* e

Flags of the British Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies

British Overseas Territories|

* Akrotiri and Dhekelia
* Anguilla
* Bermuda
* British Antarctic Territory
* British Indian Ocean Territory
* British Virgin Islands
* Cayman Islands
* Falkland Islands
* Gibraltar
* Montserrat
* Pitcairn Islands
* Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
* Saint Helena
* Ascension
* Tristan da Cunha
* South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
* Turks and Caicos Islands

Crown Dependencies|

* Guernsey
* Alderney
* Herm
* Sark
* Jersey
* Isle of Man

* v
* t
* e

National, regional and city flags incorporating the Union Jack

Sovereign states|

* Australia
* Fiji
* New Zealand
* Tuvalu
* United Kingdom

Dependent territories|

| United Kingdom|

* Anguilla
* Ascension Island
* Bermuda
* British Antarctic Territory
* British Indian Ocean Territory
* British Virgin Islands
* Cayman Islands
* Falkland Islands
* Montserrat
* Pitcairn Islands
* Saint Helena
* South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
* Tristan da Cunha
* Turks and Caicos Islands

|

New Zealand|

* Cook Islands
* Niue

States, provinces
and other
administrative divisions|

| Australian states|

* New South Wales
* Queensland
* South Australia
* Tasmania
* Victoria
* Western Australia

|

Canadian provinces|

* British Columbia
* Manitoba
* Ontario

US states|

* Hawaii

US counties|

* Somerset County, Maryland
* Westmoreland County

Cities|

| Chile|

* Coquimbo

|

United States|

* Baton Rouge, Louisiana
* Mobile, Alabama
* New Castle, Delaware
* Taunton, Massachusetts

Miscellaneous|

* List of Australian flags
* List of British flags
* List of New Zealand flags
* British Empire
* George Rex Flag
* Flags inspired by the Union Jack
* Basque Country
* Newfoundland & Labrador
* St. Pierre & Miquelon

Historical|

| Dominions
and independent states|

* Canada (1868–1965)
* Newfoundland (1907–1931)
* Rhodesia (1964–1968)
* South Africa (1910–1928)
* South Africa (1928–1994)
* United States (1776–1777)

|

Australian
external territories|

* New Guinea (1921–1971)
* Papua (1884–1971)

New Zealand mandate
and trust territory|

* Western Samoa (1925–1948)

Other flags|

* Aden (1937–1963)
* British Cameroon (1922–1961)
* British Leeward Islands (1871–1958)
* British Somaliland (1903–1960)
* British South Africa Company (1892–1965)
* British Windward Islands (1886–1960)
* Burma (1939–1948)
* Cyprus (1881–1960)
* East India Company (1600–1858)
* Gibraltar (1875–1982)
* Gilbert and Ellice Islands (1937–1976)
* Hong Kong (1871–1997)
* India (1880–1947)
* Ionian Islands (1815–1864)
* Malacca (1951–1957)
* Malta (1875–1964)
* Mosquito Coast (1824–1860)
* New Hebrides (1906–1980)
* North Borneo (1882–1963)
* Palestine (1927–1948)
* Penang (1949–1957)
* Rhodesia and Nyasaland (1953–1963)
* Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla (1958–1967)
* Sarawak (1947–1963)
* Singapore (1946–1959)
* Solomon Islands (1906–1977)
* Southern Rhodesia (1924–1964)
* Straits Settlements (1874–1946)
* Tanganyika (1923–1961)
* United Colonies (1775–1776)
* Weihaiwei (1898–1930)

* v
* t
* e

Flags of Europe

Sovereign states|

* Albania
* Andorra
* Armenia
* Austria
* Azerbaijan
* Belarus
* Belgium
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Cyprus
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Georgia
* Germany
* Greece
* Hungary
* Iceland
* Ireland
*   * Italy
* Kazakhstan
* Latvia
* Liechtenstein
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* Malta
* Moldova
* Monaco
* Montenegro
* Netherlands
* North Macedonia
* Norway
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Russia
* San Marino
* Serbia
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Turkey
* Ukraine
* United Kingdom
* Vatican City

States with limited
recognition|

* Abkhazia
* Kosovo
* Northern Cyprus
* South Ossetia
* Transnistria

Dependencies and
other entities|

* Åland
* Faroe Islands
* Gibraltar
* Guernsey
* Isle of Man
* Jersey
* Svalbard

Other entities|

* European Union
* Sovereign Military Order of Malta

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template