Flag of Belgium

Flag of Belgium

Use	State and war flag.
Proportion	13:15
Adopted	January 23, 1831
Design	A vertical tricolour of black, yellow, and red.
Use	Civil flag and ensign.
Proportion	2:3
Design	As above.
Use	State ensign.
Proportion	2:3
Adopted	1950
Design	As above, defaced by a crown above a lion on the central bar.
Use	Naval ensign.
Proportion	2:3
Adopted	23 February, 1950
Design	A yellow saltire on a white field, bordered above and below in red and to the left and right in black, charged on the top with a crown above crossed cannons and on the bottom by a fouled anchor.

The original flag from 1830

The national flag of Belgium contains three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow, and red; the vertical design was based on the flag of France, whereas the colours were taken from the colours of the Duchy of Brabant. When riots were starting as result of the Belgian revolution against the Dutch domination, a civil guard was established which wore the colours of Brabant. Its unusual proportions (13:15) are of unknown origin.

The flag was adopted January 23, 1831, soon after the Belgians gained their independence from the Netherlands in 1830. The flag had played an important role during the revolt, where the colours of the flag served as a reminder of an older flag with horizontal bands used during a previous revolt in 1789 in the then Austrian Netherlands. The original flag was with horizontal bars, but it was changed to vertical because of the resemblance with the flag of the Netherlands.

Article 193 of the Constitution of Belgium describes the colours of the Belgian Nation as Red, Yellow and Black instead of the order used in the above official flag.

[edit] See also

• List of Belgian flags

[edit] External links

• Belgium at Flags of the World