Flag of the Canary Islands

What the flag looks like

Three equal vertical stripes of white, blue and yellow, with the Canarian coat of arms in the center: seven islands on a blue shield, held by two dogs.

What it means

White and blue are the colors of the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and blue and yellow those of the province of Las Palmas, so the flag joins the two halves of the archipelago.

How to remember it

The Canary Islands stand white-blue-yellow from the pole, with two dogs guarding a shield of seven little islands.

Fun facts

• The islands are named after dogs, not birds: the Latin Canariae Insulae means "islands of the dogs", which is why dogs support the shield, and canaries are named after the islands.
• The tricolor was designed in 1961 for the Canarias Libre movement and became official with the islands' autonomy statute in 1982.

Canary Islands at a glance

Status

Autonomous community of Spain

Sovereign state

Spain

Capital

Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Region

Autonomous community of Spain

Population

2.3 million

Area

7,446 km²

Languages

Spanish

Currency

Euro (€)

Flag adopted

1982