Flag of Switzerland
The flag of Switzerland is a red square with a white cross in the middle. Its arms are a little longer than they are wide, and none of them touches the edges.
At a glance
- Adopted
- 1889the white cross on red was used by Swiss troops from the 1300s, became the army flag in 1840 and was written into the constitution in 1848; the cross's proportions were set in 1889 and confirmed by a 2017 law
- Shape (height : width)
- 1:1
- Capital
- Bern
- Continent
- Europe
- Colours
- red
- white
What it means
- White cross: a sign of the Swiss Confederation since the Middle Ages, probably with Christian roots
- Red field: the colour of the canton of Schwyz
Where it came from
The white cross on red is very old. Swiss soldiers wore a white cross as a sign to recognise each other at the Battle of Laupen in 1339. The red comes from the flag of Schwyz, one of the founding cantons, which also gave Switzerland its name.
Where the cross itself first came from is not known for sure. It may come from the war banner of the Holy Roman Empire, which was a white cross on red. Other stories link it to Christian saints, but these are legends.
History
From 1798 to 1803, under French control, Switzerland briefly used a green, red and yellow tricolour. General Dufour proposed a white cross on red for the federal army in 1839, and in 1841 it became the army's flag. After the federal state was formed in 1848, it became the symbol of the whole country.
In 1889 the Federal Assembly set the shape of the cross: each arm is one sixth longer than it is wide. A 2017 law confirmed this and fixed the exact shade of red.
Fun facts
- Switzerland and Vatican City are the only countries with square national flags.
- The Red Cross symbol is the Swiss flag with its colours reversed, to honour Switzerland, where the first Geneva Convention was signed.
- When Switzerland joined the United Nations in 2002, the UN agreed to fly its flag as a square, the same area as the rectangular flags.
- Swiss boats on lakes and at sea fly a rectangular version of the flag.
Easy to mix up with
Denmark: Denmark also has a white cross on red, but the flag is rectangular and the cross reaches the edges, shifted toward the pole
Questions
What does the flag of Switzerland look like?
The flag of Switzerland is a red square with a white cross in the middle. Its arms are a little longer than they are wide, and none of them touches the edges.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of Switzerland mean?
White cross: a sign of the Swiss Confederation since the Middle Ages, probably with Christian roots; Red field: the colour of the canton of Schwyz.
When was the flag of Switzerland adopted?
The current flag of Switzerland was adopted on 1889. (the white cross on red was used by Swiss troops from the 1300s, became the army flag in 1840 and was written into the constitution in 1848; the cross's proportions were set in 1889 and confirmed by a 2017 law)
What colours are on the flag of Switzerland?
The flag of Switzerland uses red and white.
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of Switzerland?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of Denmark. Denmark also has a white cross on red, but the flag is rectangular and the cross reaches the edges, shifted toward the pole
Famous landmarks in Switzerland
🎯 Play the flag quiz 🌍 Play the globe
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)