Banner o Monaco

The naitional banner o Monaco (French: Drapeau de Monaco) haes twa equal horizontal baunds o reid (top) an white, baith o which hae been the heraldic colors o the Hoose o Grimaldi syne at least 1339. The present bicolor design wis adoptit on Aprile 4, 1881, unner Prince Charles III.

Monaco's oreeginal banner, which wis seemilar tae its current state banner but bore an aulder version o its coat o airms, wis in uise frae the principality's early days (except durin its annexation tae Fraunce frae 1793 tae 1814) till the present, simpler design wis adoptit in 1881.

Anither design (belaw), the banner o the state airms (lozenges in the Grimaldi faimily colors, in heraldic terms "lozengy argent an gules"), wis uised at various times, parteecularly in the 17t century, as an unoffeecial banner, an still appears in some ryal photographs. Housomeivver, it haes nae designatit uise, an daes no represent ony Monegasque offeecial in parteecular.

 State banner 
Monaco's state banner, which consists o the full achievement o the coat o airms on a white backgrund wi a reid line, is flewn at govrenment offices, the Prince's palace, in the presence o govrenment offeecials, an as an ensign on the Prince's yacht.

 Princely staundar 
The princely staundar, which consistit o the Croun o Monaco ower twa opposin letters A on a white backgrund, is the personal banner o Prince Albert II, an is anerlie uised in his immediate presence, parteecularly on caurs in which he travels. It is aften seen wi a gowd fringe on the tap, bottom, an richt, which is ane-nint the heicht o the white field.

 Similar banners 

Except for its proportions, the banner o Monaco is identical tae the banners o Indonesie an the German state o Hesse (baith o which are langer). It is an aa seemilar tae the banners o Singapore (which haes a crescent an five starns in the tap left), Poland an the German state o Thuringie (the order o the colours is reversed on the latter twa). Monaco's banner is ane o the warld's auldest banners.

 Notes 
 Soorces disagree as tae the banner's usage. Accordin tae Flags of the World it is 23px; accordin tae the World Flag Database it is 23px; an accordin tae Whitney Smith's Flags Through the Ages and Across the World (1975), it is 23px.

 References 

 Explanation o the uise o Monaco's various banners
 World Flag Database Monaco's flags at the Warld Banner Database

Category:Naitional seembols o Monaco
Monaco