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List of flags containing the color purple

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Purple is one of the least used colours in vexillology and heraldry. Currently, the colour appears in only five national flags: that of Dominica, Spain, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Mexico, and one co-official national flag, the Wiphala (co-official national flag of Bolivia). However, it is also present in the flags of several administrative subdivisions around the world, as well as flags of political and ethnic groups and sexual minorities.

Background

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In the past, purple dye was very expensive to produce, with the first compound used as one, Tyrian purple, being made from the mucus of a family of sea snail found only in the eastern Mediterranean and off Mogador Island near Morocco. To produce small amounts of it, it was required to obtain the mucus of thousands of snails, which was extremely labor-intensive. As such, it remained extremely expensive to use the dye, which resulted in it having almost no presence in flags and gaining the reputation as the color of nobility and royalty, as they were the only groups able to readily afford it.[1] In Asia, the main dye used was Han purple, although it more closely resembles indigo.

During the Medieval Ages, in Europe, the color was used in the standard of the Kingdom of León, during the reign of Alfonso VII,[2] and in the royal standard of the Kingdom of Castile.[3] Both states united in 1230, forming the Crown of Castile, which continued to use the combination of their flags until 1715.[3] In South America, during the Pre-Columbian era, the Wiphala, a flag used by the subdivisions of the Inca Empire, contained the color purple.[4]

In the modern era, synthetic purple dyes became easier to obtain, and flags with the color purple began being used more commonly. In 1931, the Second Spanish Republic established a tricolor flag consisting of red, yellow and purple stripes as its national flag, seeing use in Spain until 1939 and by the Spanish Republican government in exile until 1977. The flag is still sometimes used by supporters of republicanism in Spain.[3]

Currently, the color appears in only five national flags: that of Dominica, El Salvador, Spain, Nicaragua, and Mexico, and one co-official national flag, the Wiphala (co-official national flag of Bolivia). However, it is present in the flags of several administrative subdivisions around the world.[1]

National flags

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Current

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Image Country Date of adoption Notes
 
 Bolivia 7 February 2009 Used as the co-official national flag; see Wiphala
  Dominica[5] 3 November 1978 As purple sisserou parrot, a national symbol (see flag of Dominica)
  El Salvador[6] 27 May 1912 As part of the rainbow in the coat of arms (see flag of El Salvador)
  Nicaragua 27 August 1971 As part of the rainbow in the coat of arms (see flag of Nicaragua)
  Mexico 16 September 1968 As pink cactus fruits in the coat of arms (see flag of Mexico)
  Spain 5 October 1981 As purpure lion in the coat of arms (see flag of Spain)

Historical

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Image Country Years of usage Notes
  Sasanian Empire c. 6th–7th century See Derafsh Kaviani
  Kingdom of León[2] 11th century Used during the reign of Alfonso VII (1105-1157) (see heraldry of León
  Crown of Castile 14th century see heraldry of Castile
  15th century
  ca.1500–1715
 
 Saint-Domingue 1791–1794 Flag of Saint-Domingue under the rebel control during the Haitian Revolution
  United Provinces of Central America 1823–1824 As part of the rainbow in the coat of arms
  Federal Republic of Central America 1824–1838 As part of the rainbow in the coat of arms
  Nicaragua 1896–1908 As part of the rainbow in the coat of arms (see flag of Nicaragua)
  1908–1971
  Second Spanish Republic 1931–1939 see flag of the Second Spanish Republic
  1931–1939 civil ensign; see flag of the Second Spanish Republic
  Dominica 1978–1981 As purple sisserou parrot, a national symbol (see flag of Dominica)
  1978–1981
  1988–1990

Subdivisional flags

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Current

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Image Administrative division Country Date of adoption Notes
  Aberdeenshire United Kingdom 22 April 2023 see flag of Aberdeenshire
  Adjuntas Puerto Rico, United States see flag of Adjuntas
  Ambrolauri Municipality Georgia 26 November 2010
  Amoroto Spain 12 July 1988
  Amnat Charoen Thailand
  Balearic Islands Spain 1983 see flag of the Balearic Islands
  Barão Brazil Rio Grande do Sul
  Bomi County Liberia 1965
  Bueng Kan Thailand 23 March 2011
  Buriram Thailand
  Burón Spain Castile and León
  Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma United States
  Castile and León Spain 1983 see flag of Castile and León
  Department of Cuzco Peru 4 June 2021 see flag of Cusco
  Castile and León Spain flag variant; see flag of Castile and León
  Connecticut United States 1897 see Flag of Connecticut
  Gunma Prefecture Japan 25 October 1968
  Higuera de Calatrava Andalusia 2002
  Jewish Autonomous Oblast Russia 27 October 1996 As part of the rainbow (see flag of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast)
  Kyoto Prefecture Japan 2 November 1976
  Mamoré Province Bolivia
  Mesas de Ibor Spain Extremadura 1996
  Ninotsminda Municipality Georgia 20 April 2010
  Okayama Prefecture Japan 1967
  Quindío Department Colombia
  Sagarejo Municipality Georgia 27 May 2011
  San Pedro de Ceque Castile and León 2005
  Toužetín Czechia
 
 Val Mara Switzerland
  Virginia United States 28 March 1912 see Flag of Virginia
  Yamanashi Prefecture Japan 1 December 1966

Historical

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Image Administrative division Country Years of usage Notes
 
 Antisuyu Inca Empire 15th–16th century
 
 Chinchay Suyu
 
 Qullasuyu
  Department of Cuzco Peru 1978–2021 see flag of Cusco
  Jewish Autonomous Oblast Russia 1996 As part of the rainbow (see flag of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast)
  Ropaži Municipality Latvia 2000–2009
  2012–2021
  Borova Raion Ukraine Until 2020
 
 Ichnia Raion
 
 Mashivka Raion
  North Chungcheong Province South Korea Until 2023

Other flags

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Image Flag Country Date of adoption Notes
 
 Flag of Mallorca Spain Flag of the island of Mallorca
 
 Flag of Pourlet France Flag of Pourlet, one of traditional regions of Brittany
 
 Wiphala Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru Flag used as the symbol of various native peoples around the area of Andes in South America. Historically associated with the Inca Empire

City flags

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Current

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Image City Country Administrative division Date of adoption Notes
  Ambrolauri Georgia Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti September 2015
  Amoroto Spain Basque Country 12 July 1988
 
 Avratyn Ukraine Khmelnytskyi Oblast
  Bobures Venezuela Zulia 2024
  Córdoba Spain Córdoba As part of the emblem
  Cusco Peru Department of Cuzco 4 June 2021 see flag of Cusco
  De Hoeve Netherlands Friesland
  Hermann United States Missouri
  Ichikawa Japan Chiba Prefecture
  Iznatoraf Spain Andalusia 2004
  Kakogawa Japan Hyōgo Prefecture
  Málaga Spain Andalusia 14 March 1509
  Mancha Real Spain Andalusia 2000
 
 Markushi Ukraine Khmelnytskyi Oblast
  Montreal Canada Quebec 13 September 2017 (most recent version) see Flag of Montreal
  Pegalajar Spain Province of Jaén, Andalusia
  São Vicente Brazil São Paulo 22 March 1976
  Siversk Ukraine Donetsk Oblast
  Schönau Germany Baden-Württemberg
  Tokyo Japan Tokyo 1 October 1964 see symbols of Tokyo
  Torredelcampo Spain Andalusia 2011
  Vagharshapat Armenia Armavir Province
  Valdepeñas de Jaén Spain Andalusia 2000
  Villanueva del Arzobispo Spain Andalusia

Historical

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Image City Country Administrative division Years of usage Notes
  Cusco Peru Department of Cuzco 1978–2021 see flag of Cusco
  Montreal Canada Quebec 1935–1939 see flag of Montreal
  1939–2017
link to the image Pocatello United States Idaho 2001–2017 unofficial flag; see flag of Pocatello, Idaho
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Historical

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Image Flag Country Years of usage Notes
 
 Flag of the Ministry of the Navy Second Spanish Republic 1931–1939
 
 Flag of the captain general of the Spanish Republican Navy Second Spanish Republic 1931–1939
 
 Flag of the admiral of the Spanish Republican Navy Second Spanish Republic 1931–1939
 
 Flag of the viceadmiral of the Spanish Republican Navy Second Spanish Republic 1931–1939
 
 Flag of the viceadmiral (subordinate) of the Spanish Republican Navy Second Spanish Republic 1931–1939
 
 Flag of the rear admiral of the Spanish Republican Navy Second Spanish Republic 1931–1939
 
 Flag of the rear admiral (subordinate) of the Spanish Republican Navy Second Spanish Republic 1931–1939

Sexual minority flags

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Image Flag Year of adoption Notes
  LGBT pride flag 1978
  Bisexual flag 1998
  Labrys lesbian flag 1999
  Asexual pride flag 2010
  Demisexual pride flag 2010
  Gray asexual pride flag
  Intersex flag 2013
  Non-binary flag 2014
  Philadelphia Pride Flag 2017
  Progress Pride 2018

Political flags

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Image Flag Year of adoption Notes
  Anarcha-feminism 2004 see anarchist symbolism
  Castilian nationalism
  Castilian nationalism, Castilian Left
  Communist Party of Spain (Reconstituted), First of October Anti-Fascist Resistance Groups
  Marxist–Leninist Party (Communist Reconstruction)
  Independent Party 1982
  1988 Flag used in during the 1988 Costa Rican elections

Ethnic flags

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Image Flag Year of adoption Notes
  Choctaw 1970s
  Kuban Cossacks Unofficial
  Hispanidad 1932 Winning entry in a contest organized by Juana de Ibarbourou
  Iroquois 1980s see also Flag of the Iroquois Confederacy
Tohono Oʼodham 2008

Religious flags

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Image Flag Year of adoption Notes
  Armenian Apostolic Church

Organizational flags

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Image Flag Year of adoption Notes
  Supreme Court of the Dominican Republic

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Country Flags With Purple". worldatlas.com. 20 December 2018.
  2. ^ a b Menéndez-Pidal de Navascués, Faustino (2004): El Escudo de España [The coat of arms of Spain], Real Academia Matritense de Heráldica y Genealogía, Madrid. pp. 64-78. ISBN 84-88833-02-4.
  3. ^ a b c "Historia de la Bandera de España". ejercito.defensa.gob.es (in Spanish).
  4. ^ "Bandera indígena boliviana es incluida como símbolo patrio en nueva Constitución". espanol.upi.com (in Spanish). 22 October 2008.
  5. ^ "Today is Flag Day in Dominica". Dominica News Online. 19 October 2011. Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
  6. ^ Minahan, James. (2010). The complete guide to national symbols and emblems. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-34496-1. OCLC 436221284.
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