Flag of San Marino

The national flag of San Marino has two equal horizontal bands, white on top and light blue below. In the middle of the flag is the national coat of arms. This coat of arms shows a shield with three towers on three peaks, a closed crown at the top, and an oak and laurel wreath on the sides. At the bottom of the coat of arms is a scroll with the word LIBERTAS, meaning Freedom.

The white color stands for peace, and the light blue represents liberty. While there is an official flag described by law from July 22, 2011, people in San Marino sometimes use a simpler version without the coat of arms. Some say this simpler flag shows the coat of arms of the particular town it is used for instead of the national one.

All the towns in San Marino have their own flags that look much like the national flag. They have the same white and blue horizontal bands, but with a shield-like emblem in the center and the name of the town written vertically near the flagpole. The national ensign of San Marino looks just like the state flag.

History

The oldest known flag of San Marino dates back to September 4, 1465. It was made in Florence and had three colors: gold, white, and a special blue called "alessandrino."

In 1797, the leaders of San Marino chose a white and blue symbol, inspired by changes happening in France. This symbol looked like one used by French revolutionaries.

A rule from April 6, 1862 set the official design for the coat of arms, but it did not talk about the flag.

Proportions and colours

The official size of the flag of San Marino is in a ratio of 3 to 4. The coat of arms on the flag takes up a special part of this size.

Sometimes, a different size of 2 to 3 is used, especially when the flag is needed for international use or a special request. In this case, the coat of arms changes its position a little bit.

The colours of the flag are set in a special way, which is shown in the following details.

Political flags

One political group in San Marino uses its own flag. This is the flag of the Sammarinese Communist Party.

Municipalities ("Castelli")

Each town, or castello, in San Marino has its own special flag. This rule started on March 28, 1997. These flags all show the town's symbol or coat of arms on top of San Marino's own white and blue colors. The law says the town's name should be written in a special font along the left side, but this rule is not always followed, and many flags are seen without the name written on them.