Flag of Andorra

What the flag of Andorra looks like:

History of the flag of Andorra

The flag was legally adopted in 1866.

The colors of the flag of Andorra are a mixture of two influences on the territory – the patronage of France and Spain. There was even a period in history when the territory of the Principality was completely under the protectorate of the two countries, which ruled at their own discretion, without regard to the will of the people.

Also, Andorra was one of the first to recognize the sovereignty of a country like Catalonia (the modern part of Spain, where nationalist movements are still present today), which significantly undermined the world order in general (encouragement of terrorism and separatism, interference in another sovereign state) and Spanish legislation in particular.

There is a version that the Latin inscription on the flag, “In unity is strength,” was added there as a sign of solidarity with the neighboring, free Catalan people.

In Soviet times, the flag, which was adopted by the self-proclaimed Prince of Andorra in the 1930s, Boris Mikhailovich Skosyrev, was listed in encyclopedias and international papers as official until the early 1990s. This was due to the complex relations between the USSR and Andorra and the problems of recognition of the small principality’s sovereignty by the Soviet Union.

Boris Mikhailovich Skosyrev was a Russian adventurer who arrived in Andorra in 1933 and proposed a reform project for Andorra to the General Council. The Council liked the plan, but it was refused for fear of disturbing the patriarchal way of life. Boris was expelled from Andorra.

Then Skosyrev returned in 1934 and offered himself as King of Andorra. He ended up being it for a full 12 days.

Description

The flag of Andorra has unusual proportions of 7:10. The flag is divided by three equal vertical stripes, with no transition line or border.

In the center is another national symbol, the coat of arms of the Principality.

The colors of the Andorran flag and their meaning

The colors are used on the flag of Andorra:

• Blue is the color of France, one of Andorra’s closest neighbors and as a symbol of the past French protectorate over the territory. Along with blue, there is also red, which is also present on the flag of France – a double symbolism.
• Yellow is the color of Spain. As in the case of the French symbolism, there is an additional red color, the colors of the Spanish flag.
• Red – has a mixed symbolism from the two neighboring countries. Generally understood, it has the meaning of struggle and defiance in front of the invaders. It refers to the blood that was spilled for the sovereignty of the Principality.

General information about Andorra

Map of Andorra