Spain Flag

The flag of Spain consists of two colors in the form of three horizontal bands: red, yellow and red. The yellow stripe is twice the size of each red stripe. The design of the Spanish flag is set out in the Spanish Constitution of 1978. Within the yellow portion of the flag there is a Naval Ensign of 1785. The flag was not changed throughout the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, except for a change to the coat of arms made during 1931-1939.

The coat of arms currently part of the Spanish flag was adopted on December 19, 1981, replacing the one used since 1977 which at the time replaced the coat of arms from 1945 considered the official coat of arms of Francoist Spain.

The current coat of arms includes a quartered shield. Each of the four quadrants represents one of the four kingdoms that were joined to unite Spain at the end of the 15th century. The four kingdoms are: Castile, represented by the gold castle on red; León, represented by the purple lion on silver; Aragon, represented by the four red bars on gold; and Kingdom of Navarre, represented by the linked gold chains on red. The Christian kingdom of Granada is represented by the pomegranate fruit in the bottom of the coat of arms. The center of the shield has an emblem of the reigning Spanish royal Family, House of Bourbon. The crown over the coat of arms is the Spanish Royal Crown protected on each side by two columns with the motto "plus ultra" in gold letters. The motto means "further beyond" in Latin.