Flag Overview
What does the flag of Belgium look like? The Belgian flag is made of a vertical tricolor of black, white, and red.
Meaning of the Flag
The colors of the Belgium flag were derived from the coat of arms used by the Duchy of Brabant. The vertical tricolor design is though to be taken from the design of the red, white and blue tricolor flag of France.
Colors of the Flag
There are three colors used in the flag of Belgium: red, black and yellow. These colors were taken from the coat of arms of the Duchy of Brabant, as previously mentioned. The red represents the red lion of Hainaut, Limburg and Luxembourg. The yellow represents the yellow lion of Brabant. Finally, the black stripe represents the black lion of Namur and Flanders. It is also believed that the tricolor design was inspired by the national flag of France, albeit with different colors.
History of the Flag
When Belgium was under the control of France, the French national tricolor was flown over the nation. However, when riots kicked off the beginning of the Belgian Revolution, insurgents replaced the flag with one of red, black and yellow stripes, which bore a resemblance to the flag used during the Brabant Revolution of the 18th century. Originally, the flag featured vertical stripes. However, this design was changed in 1831. It was later that year that the arrangement of colors was also changed and the flag that is still flown to this day was adopted on October 12, 1831.
Flag Facts
The flag of Belgium has a ratio of 13:15, which is unusual when compared to the dimensions of other national flags.
As is common in other nations around the world, the national flag of Belgium takes precedence over other flags, including regional flags and the European flag.
