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Flag of Switzerland

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Swiss Confederation
UseNational flag
Proportion1:1
Variant flag of Swiss Confederation
UseState and Civil flag
Proportion2:3

Switzerland’s national flag was adopted on December 12, 1889, which is one of the world’s oldest flags. The Flag of Switzerland is a red field, a white cross whose arms are one-sixth longer than their width. The relationship between the span of the cross and the width of the flag has not been established, but in practice the ratio is about 2:3 or 7:10.[1]

The Swiss cross on a red field ultimately derives from a similar banner of the Holy Roman Empire, and thus has strong Christian connotations. The Swiss flag traditionally stands for freedom, honour and fidelity. The motto "Honor et Fidelitas" was inscribed on the cross of several Swiss mercenary flags of the 18th century. In modern times, through association with consistent Swiss policy, the flag has also come to mean neutrality, democracy, peace and refuge.

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