The flag of France is one of the most important symbols of the republic of this country, also considered a tribute to the French Revolution.
Popularly known as bleu, blanc, rouge, the tricolor flag is composed of three vertical bands of the same size and in the following colors: blue (to the left), White (in the center) and Red (on the right). The official ratio of the French flag is 2:3.
The model of the current national flag of France arose from the ideals of the French Revolution (1789 – 1799). It was officially established for the first time in the country in February 15, 1794.
Initially, however, the new French flag was rejected with the French Restoration (or Restoration de Bourbon), period from the fall of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte (1814) to the July Revolution (1830).
With the July Revolution, which forced the abdication of King Charles X, the tricolor flag was once again used in the country.
Many people confuse the French flag with the Dutch one, due to the great similarity between the two. In reality, the difference is in the arrangement of the flag strips: the French one is vertical, while the
from Holland is horizontal.
Learn more about the meaning of Netherlands flag.
Meaning of the colors of the flag of France
There are different interpretations attributed to the meaning of the colors of the French flag.
One of the best known is directly related to the philosophy of the French Revolution: “Release, Égalite et fraternity”.
- Blue: Release (Freedom)
- White: Égalite (Equality)
- Red: fraternity (Fraternity).
Another interpretation of the French flag says that the blue and red colors represent Paris (the colors used by the Parisian militia), while the white symbolized the "ancestral French color", that is, the country's monarchical origins.
Blue and red are traditional Paris colors, used long before the French Revolution, and represented by two important saints for the city: Saint Martin of Tours (identified by the blue color) and Saint Dinis of Paris (identified by the color red).
Learn more about the meaning of the others country flags and Portugal flag.