Belgium

Belgium
Adopted	January 23, 1831
Designed by	Lucien Jottrand and Edouard Ducpétiaux
Proportions	13:15

The flag of Belgium is a vertical tricolour of black, yellow, and red.

Symbolism

^{The coat of arms of the Duchy of Brabant is also used as the coat of arms for the Kingdom of Belgium.}

The colours of the Belgian flag derive from the historical coat of arms of the duchy of Brabant, which comprised of a golden lion with red claws and tongue on a black field and stretched from the modern Dutch province of North Brabant, through Antwerp and Flemish Brabant and Brussels to modern day Walloon Brabant. They were first used during a revolution against the Austrian Habsburgers in 1792, with the establishment of the short-lived United Belgian States in the Austrian Southern Netherlands (roughly the equivalent of modern day Belgium).

When Belgium revolted against the United Kingdom of The Netherlands in 1830 the Brabantic colours were again used, albeit in a horizontal tricolour of red, yellow and black. When actual independence was achieved a year later the colours were placed in the contemporary vertical pattern, inspired by the vertical French tricolore, which represented liberty and revolution, and possibly to differentiate from the horizontal tricolour of the Dutch.

Flag Colors

Color	Color Name	HEX RGB	Color of
	Black	#000000	Black part of the tricolor
	Banana Yellow	#fdda24	Yellow part of the tricolor
	Deep Carmine Pink	#ef3340	Red part of the tricolor

Other flags

The royal standard of Belgium, consists of a field of rouge ponceau (shade of red), with the greater arms of the country in the center, and the king's cypher rotated on every corner of the flag, that changes every time a new monarch comes to power. For a history of the royal standard, go to this article.

Both the civil and state ensign use the national flag of Belgium, with proportions of 2:3. The state ensign adds a black lion with a crown on the yellow bar.

The flag of the Belgian Army (also known as the Land Component) consists of a white background with the Army's badge in the center. The badge consists of a red shield with a black embattled wall. The shield is charged inside with two hands a holding a sword, and a crown at the top.

The ensign of the country's air force (also known as the Air Component) is a light blue background, with the air component's badge in the canton, and the country's roundel in the center.

The ensign of the country's navy (also known as the Navy Component) consists of a white background, with a yellow saltire bordered on red at the top, and black on the bottom. At the top, is a symbol consisting of a black crown flanked by two crossed cannons. At the bottom, is a black anchor. The jack of the navy uses the official flag of Belgium with the official proportions.

The flag of the Admiral Benelux, is split by the Dutch flag with the Royal Netherlands Navy emblem in the center, at the hoist, and the naval ensign of Belgium at the fly.

Trivia

• The rather odd proportions of the Belgian flag are of unknown origin. For simplicity's sake the Belgian flag for civil use has the more common 2:3 proportions.
  • Speaking of proportions, the same 2:3 flag, is also used in the country's civil and state ensign.
• The Belgian flag, used twice mirrored and unmirrored, appears in the greater coat of arms of Belgium.