Flag of Litoral
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|
| Use | State flag and ensign and war flag   |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 1:1 |
| Adopted | 2 June 1974 |
| Design | A white field with a centred royal blue cross. |
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|
| Use | Civil flag and ensign  |
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Design | A white field with a centred royal blue cross. |
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|
| Use | Naval ensign  |
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Design | A white field with a centred royal blue cross and a royal blue Crown of Litoral in the canton. |
The flag of Litoral (Portuguese: Bandeira do Litoral), informally named The Blue Cross (A Cruz Azul), is a royal blue cross centred on a white field. The design was adopted via the Great Charter of 2 June 1974. Although inspired by the flag of the 11th century County of Portugal, in recent times the colours have been assigned symbolism: royal blue for Mary, mother of Jesus, the King of Litoral, and the Minho River which surrounds Litoral; and white for the peace and purity of the land.
The 1:1 ratio of the flag is rare among micronations. The civil flag, however, has a more common 2:3 ratio.
Colours
| Scheme | Royal Blue | White |
|---|---|---|
| RGB | 51-102-204 | 255-255-255 |
| Hex | #136ac1 | #ffffff |
The blue shade is often substituted for web-safe colour #0066CC, which can be used for certain digital screens that may have trouble displaying the shade of blue in the table above.
History
The flag was designed by King Henrique in May 1974 and announced as the national flag in the Great Charter of June 1974. Originally the square (or 1:1) flag was the nation's sole flag. By late summer 1974, after frequent river crossings, Henrique had commissioned a civil and naval ensigns of ratio 2:3, the latter defaced in the canton with a crown symbol. These were made official in an ordinance of late summer 1974, although the specific date was not recorded.
Flag Day
The first Flag Day (Dia da Bandeira) was observed on 2 June 1975 on the one year anniversary of its adoption. Despite being observed, Flag Day never become an official public holiday in Litoral due to its closeness to the more significant National Day one week earlier on 25 May. Flag Day was finally made an official holiday in 2019, when it coincided with the accession to the throne of King Cristóvão.