Flag of Belgium
The flag of Belgium has three vertical stripes of black, yellow and red, with black next to the flagpole.
At a glance
- Adopted
- January 23, 1831
- Shape (height : width)
- 13:15
- Capital
- Brussels
- Continent
- Europe
- Colours
- black
- yellow
- red
What it means
- Black, yellow and red: the colours of the arms of Brabant, a black shield with a yellow lion; there is no official meaning for each colour
- Vertical stripes: probably inspired by the French tricolour
Where it came from
The colours come from the coat of arms of the old Duchy of Brabant, the region around Brussels: a yellow lion with a red tongue and claws on a black shield. Belgian rebels had already used these colours in the Brabant Revolution of 1789.
The upright stripes were probably copied from the flag of France, whose revolution inspired many Europeans at the time.
History
In August 1830 Belgians rose up against the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The first flags were made in a hurry in a Brussels shop and had horizontal stripes of red, yellow and black.
On 23 January 1831 the new government made the stripes vertical. On 12 October that year the order was set as black, yellow, red from the pole.
Fun facts
- Belgium's official flag has a very unusual shape, 13 by 15, so it is almost square. Most Belgian flags you see are the common 2:3 size instead.
- The very first Belgian flags had their stripes lying sideways, not standing up.
- Belgium's constitution lists the colours in the order red, yellow, black, the opposite of how the flag looks.
- Belgium's yellow is bright, not the darker gold on Germany's flag.
Easy to mix up with
Germany
Chad
RomaniaQuestions
What does the flag of Belgium look like?
The flag of Belgium has three vertical stripes of black, yellow and red, with black next to the flagpole.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of Belgium mean?
Black, yellow and red: the colours of the arms of Brabant, a black shield with a yellow lion; there is no official meaning for each colour; Vertical stripes: probably inspired by the French tricolour.
When was the flag of Belgium adopted?
The current flag of Belgium was adopted on January 23, 1831.
What colours are on the flag of Belgium?
The flag of Belgium uses black, yellow and red.
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of Belgium?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of Germany. Germany has the same three colours, but in horizontal stripes and with gold instead of yellow
Famous landmarks in Belgium
🎯 Play the flag quiz 🌍 Play the globe
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)