Flag of Catalonia

What the flag looks like

Nine equal horizontal stripes, five yellow alternating with four red.

What it means

The Senyera comes from the red and gold bars of the Counts of Barcelona, which became the arms of the Crown of Aragon.

How to remember it

Catalonia is the Senyera: four red stripes on gold and nothing else, with no star, triangle or shield.

Fun facts

• Legend says the stripes were drawn by a Frankish king dragging four bloodied fingers across the gold shield of the dying Count Wilfred the Hairy, though the story is not historical.
• The same red and gold bars appear in the flags of Aragon, Valencia and the Balearic Islands; a variant with a star in a triangle, the Estelada, is flown by supporters of independence but is not the official flag.

Catalonia at a glance

Status

Autonomous community of Spain

Sovereign state

Spain

Capital

Barcelona

Region

Autonomous community of Spain

Population

8.1 million

Area

32,114 km²

Languages

Catalan, Spanish, Occitan

Currency

Euro (€)

Flag adopted

1933