Flag Ratio: 2:3

The national flag of France (Vexillological symbol: , known in French as le drapeau tricolore, le drapeau bleu-blanc-rouge, le drapeau de la France, rarely, le tricolore and, colloquially, les couleurs) is a tricolour featuring three vertical bands coloured blue (hoist side), white, and red. The national flag of France is known to English speakers as the French tricolor (American English), the French tricolour (British English), or the tricolore. Tricolore of France Created by User:Anthony S. Tsoumbris French Tricolore flag File links The following pages link to this file: Austria Arsenal F.C. Ajax Amsterdam A.S. Roma A.C. Milan Belgium Czech Republic Cyprus Economy of the Czech Republic Corsica Chelsea F.C. European Union Estonia European... Tricolore of France Created by User:Anthony S. Tsoumbris French Tricolore flag File links The following pages link to this file: Austria Arsenal F.C. Ajax Amsterdam A.S. Roma A.C. Milan Belgium Czech Republic Cyprus Economy of the Czech Republic Corsica Chelsea F.C. European Union Estonia European... FIAV usage code 56 See Vexillological symbols for its meaning File links The following pages link to this file: Flag of France Flag of Luxembourg Flag of Nepal Flag of Burkina Faso Flag of Poland Flag of the Vatican City Flag of Australia Solomon Islands Flag of Chad Flag of... A vexillological symbol is used by vexillologists to indicate certain characteristics of national flags, such as where they are used, who uses them, and what they look like. ... FIAV usage code 56 See Vexillological symbols for its meaning File links The following pages link to this file: Flag of France Flag of Luxembourg Flag of Nepal Flag of Burkina Faso Flag of Poland Flag of the Vatican City Flag of Australia Solomon Islands Flag of Chad Flag of... A tricolour is a flag or banner having three colours, usually in approximately equal size (horizontally or vertically) and lacking additional symbols. ... A national flag is a flag which symbolises a country and which can usually be flown by citizens of that country. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... American English or U.S. English is the diverse form of the English language used mostly in the United States of America. ... Diagram showing the geographical locations of selected languages and dialects of the British Isles. ... The term tricolore can refer to: the Flag of France (in French, le drapeau tricolore or, rarely, le tricolore) the Flag of Italy (in Italian: il tricolore) the Flag of Russia (in Russian: триколор) a tricolour banner or flag which has three colours, usually in approximately equal size (horizontally or...

Design

The red and blue colours of the flag are now officially PANTONE "Reflex Blue" and PANTONE "Red 032", or RGB (0,85,164) and (239,65,53), or CMYK (100,73,0,2) and (0,90,86,0). These were adopted by Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, replacing the previous darker version of the flag. Pantone Inc. ... The RGB color model utilizes the additive model in which red, green, and blue light are combined in various ways to create other colors. ... Cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (black) CMYK (or sometimes YMCK) is a subtractive color model used in color printing. ... Valéry Marie René Georges Giscard dEstaing (born February 2, 1926 in Koblenz, Germany) is a French politician who was President of the Republic from 1974 until 1981. ...

Currently the flag is 50% longer than its height (i.e. in the proportion 2:3) and, except in the navy, has stripes of equal width. For many years the three stripes of the flag were not equally wide, being in the proportions 30 (blue), 33 (white) and 37 (red), the same proportions as the former flag of Paris. The theory was that if they were equal then the white stripe, being brighter, would appear disproportionately wider to the human eye. This was changed to equal width by Napoléon, although by a regulation dated 17 May 1853 (?), the navy went back to using the 30:33:37 proportions, which they continue to use. The Eiffel Tower has become the symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... May 17 is the 137th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (138th in leap years). ... 1853 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

French Tricolore flag

mirrored version of Image:Tricolore flagpole. ... mirrored version of Image:Tricolore flagpole. ...

History

The origins of the tricolore are said to be a rosette, created in July 1789 during the French Revolution, which (according to legend among vexillologists) used a combination of the colours of the coat of arms of Paris (red and blue) and the royal colour (white), with the combination often being credited to the Marquis de Lafayette. However it is unlikely that this is correct, since by 1789 the colours of Paris were no longer in use; more probable is that La Fayette just adopted the colours of the American Revolution (blue, red and white). Most historians, including those in France, agree with this last version, although the legend predominates. 1789 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The period of the French Revolution in the history of France covers the years between 1789 and 1799, in which democrats and republicans overthrew the absolute monarchy and the Roman Catholic Church was forced to undergo radical restructuring. ... Vexillology is the study of flags. ... The Eiffel Tower has become the symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... Marie-Joseph-Paul-Roch-Yves-Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette (September 6, 1757–May 20, 1834), was a French aristocrat most famous for his participation in the American Revolutionary War and early French Revolution. ... 1789 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Before the Revolution: The 13 colonies are in red, the pink area was claimed by Great Britain after the French and Indian War, and the orange region was claimed by Spain. ...

Originally the flag was often flown with the colour red at the hoist side, but it was standardized as blue on this side when the flag was officially adopted as the national ensign on February 15, 1794 during the First Republic, and came into use as such on May 20 of the same year, in order to avoid confusion in naval warfare. Its adoption was not universally welcomed; the navy threatened to mutiny, since they were at the time continuing to fight under the white flag of the monarchy. Even when the three colours had been used - for example by the army in 1791 and by the National Guard after 1789 - they were often used creatively. For example, at the Battle of Arcole Napoleon brandished a white standard, with a golden fasces lictoriae in the center (a symbol of the former Roman Republic), and four red and blue lozenges at the corners. The vertical striped flag was adopted by the army in 1812, replacing the previous flags which were often a white cross on red and blue. An ensign is a distinguishing token, emblem, badge, or flag such as a symbol of office. ... February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1794 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The French people proclaimed Frances First Republic on 21 September 1792 as a result of the French Revolution and of the abolition of the French monarchy. ... May 20 is the 140th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (141st in leap years). ... 1791 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... During the early years of the French Revolution, the National Guard (fr: Garde Nationale) was a military force separate from the regular army. ... 1789 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Bonaparte as general Napoléon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a general of the French Revolution and was the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from November 11, 1799 to May 18, 1804, then as Emperor of the French (Empereur des Français... Fasces on the reverse of the US dime A statue of Cincinnatus returning the Roman fasces Fasces consist of a bundle of wooden rods tied together as a cylinder around an axe. ... See also Roman Republic (18th century) and Roman Republic (19th century). ... This shape is a rhombus In geometry, a rhombus (also known as a rhomb) is a quadrilateral in which all of the sides are of equal length. ... 1812 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

After the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy following the defeat of Napoleon in 1815 the tricolore was replaced by the royal white standard with fleur-de-lis which had been in use before the Revolution. However, the revolution of 1830 saw Louis-Philippe, the Citizen-King, ascend to the throne who again designated the tricolore as the national flag, which it has remained ever since. Following the ouster of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1814, the Allies restored the Bourbon Dynasty to the French throne. ... For other uses, see Napoleon (disambiguation). ... 1815 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Fleurs-de-lys on the flag of Quebec The fleur-de-lis (also spelled fleur-de-lys; plural fleurs-de-lis or -lys) is used in heraldry, where it is particularly associated with the France monarchy (see King of France). ... 1830 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Louis-Philippe of France (October 6, 1773–August 26, 1850), served as the Orleanist king of the French from 1830 to 1848. ...

The flag of Free France featured a red Cross of Lorraine on a Tricolore

During the Revolution of 1848, the red flag was raised by radicals supporting a socialist alternative government to the new French Second Republic while moderates rallied to the tricolore. Flag of Free France 1940-1944 by Ivan Sache from Flags of the World (FOTW) website [1]] File links The following pages link to this file: Flag of France Cross of Lorraine FS Richelieu (1935-1967) Armée de lAir (Part II: Fighting for Free France, 1940-1945) French... Flag of Free France 1940-1944 by Ivan Sache from Flags of the World (FOTW) website [1]] File links The following pages link to this file: Flag of France Cross of Lorraine FS Richelieu (1935-1967) Armée de lAir (Part II: Fighting for Free France, 1940-1945) French... Up to 1848 in France As 1848 began, liberals awaited the death of King Louis Philippe, expecting revolution after his death. ... The red flag is a socialist emblem associated in particular with the revolutionary left as well as with social democratic and labour traditions having been a banner used by parties such as Labour in Britain, the Socialist Party in France and other social democratic and democratic socialist groups throughout the... The French Second Republic (often simply Second Republic) was the republican regime of France from February 25, 1848 to December 2, 1852. ...

In World War II, Vichy France continued to use the traditional French standard. To distinguish themselves, Free French Forces under Charles de Gaulle bore a Tricolore with a red Cross of Lorraine superimposed in the centre. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Vichy France, or the Vichy regime (in French, now called: Régime de Vichy or Vichy; at the time, called itself: État Français, or French State) was the French government of 1940-1944. ... The Free French Forces (Forces Françaises Libres in French) were French fighters who decided to go on fighting against Germany after the Fall of France and German occupation and to fight against Vichy France in World War II. General Charles de Gaulle was a member of the French Cabinet in... Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (November 22, 1890 – November 9, 1970), in France commonly referred to as général de Gaulle, was a French military leader and statesman. ... Cross of Lorraine The Cross of Lorraine is a heraldic cross. ...

Influence

The flag of France represented a new revolutionary movement; as such, it influenced many other flags, including those of Belgium, Chad, Ireland, Italy, Mexico and Romania. The flag of the Acadians was based on the French flag. Acadians are the original French settlers of parts of the northeastern region of North America comprising what is now the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. ...

Current flags

Historic flags

A national flag is a flag which symbolises a country and which can usually be flown by citizens of that country. ... The list of national flags regroups flags representing independent states. ... A B C D E F G H I J K L M Malta Isle of Man Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Federated States of Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar N O P Q R S Saint Helena [[4]] Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent...

See also

• Marianne

Marianne busts with features of Brigitte Bardot - ? - ? - Catherine Deneuve - Mireille Mathieu For the Tori Amos song see Marianne (song). ...

External link

• France (http://www.fotw.net/flags/fr.html) at Flags of the World