Flag of the Basque Country
Officially Basque Autonomous Community
Locally Euskadi
What the flag looks like
A red field with a green diagonal cross (saltire), overlaid by a white upright cross.
What it means
Red stands for the Basque people, the green saltire for the Cross of St Andrew and the oak of Gernika, symbol of Basque self-government, and the white cross for the Christian faith.
How to remember it
The Basque Ikurriña is the Union Jack's layout repainted: a green X under a white cross, all on red.
Fun facts
- It was designed in 1894 by the brothers Sabino and Luis Arana, originally for the province of Biscay.
- Ikurriña comes from the Basque ikur, "sign" or "symbol"; the flag was banned under Franco and legalised again in 1977.
Basque Country at a glance
- Status
- Autonomous community of Spain
- Sovereign state
- Spain
- Capital
- Vitoria-Gasteiz
- Region
- Autonomous community of Spain
- Population
- 2.2 million
- Area
- 7,230 km²
- Languages
- Basque, Spanish
- Currency
- Euro (€)
- Flag adopted
- 1894
Flags often confused with the Basque Country
- United Kingdom: The Basque Ikurriña and the Union Jack both lay a diagonal cross under an upright cross. The Ikurriña is red with a green X and a plain white cross; the Union Jack is blue with white and red crosses.