Flag of Monaco
Monaco’s flag is two equal horizontal stripes, red above white. The constitution sets the design and gives the colours no meaning; red and white are the colours of the arms of the Grimaldi family, the princely house, Store norske leksikon says.
Easily confused with
- Flag of IndonesiaBoth are red over white; Monaco’s is 4:5, Indonesia’s the longer 2:3.
- Flag of PolandPoland’s is the other way up, white above red, and 5:8.
- Flag of MaltaMalta’s flag is white by the pole and red, with a picture of the George Cross, edged in red, in the top corner of the white: the cross King George VI awarded to Malta on 15 April 1942, during the siege of the Second World War. The constitution gives white and red no meaning; Store norske leksikon says the two colours have been used in Malta for several hundred years, the red probably after the red flag of the Order of St John.
How to read it
Article 7 of the Constitution of 17 December 1962 says the national flag consists of two equal horizontal stripes, red in the upper part and white in the lower part, and that its use is governed by the sovereign ordinance of 4 April 1881. The same article makes the prince’s standard the arms of the House of Grimaldi on a white ground. Prince Charles III adopted the national flag on 4 April 1881, and its proportions are 4:5, Store norske leksikon says.
Also searched as: flag of monaco, monaco flag, monaco flag meaning, monegasque flag, monegasque flag meaning.
Monaco’s, Indonesia’s and Poland’s flags side by side
Indonesia’s flag is also red over white in two equal stripes. Store norske leksikon says the only difference is the shape: Monaco’s is 4:5, Indonesia’s 2:3, as Indonesia’s flag law of 2009 also sets it, so Indonesia’s is the longer flag. CNN Indonesia reported in 2024, citing World Atlas, that Monaco objected to Indonesia’s flag after 1945 and asked for it to be changed, and that Indonesia refused because its colours came from the banners of the Majapahit kingdom. Poland’s flag has the colours the other way up, white above red, and is 5:8.
The Grimaldi arms
The arms of the Grimaldis are a shield of red and silver lozenges. On the great arms, two Franciscan monks holding swords support the shield, above the family motto “Deo juvante” (with God’s help). Monaco Tribune says the monks recall the founding moment of Monaco’s identity, when François Grimaldi took the fortress. The state flag is a white cloth with the prince’s great arms. A banner of red and white lozenges, as on the shield, was used in the 17th century and is still flown as an alternative national flag, without official status, Store norske leksikon says.
Read next
- Next in European flagsFlag of SwitzerlandSwitzerland’s flag is a square red flag with an upright white cross whose equal arms do not reach the edges. The Swiss coat of arms act describes the cross and makes the flag square but gives the colours no meaning, and the Fribourg historian Damir Skenderovic says nobody knows for certain why they are red and white.
- The same shape in African flagsFlag of AngolaAngola’s flag is red over black with a yellow emblem in the centre: part of a cogwheel, a machete and a five-pointed star. Its constitution says the red is the blood shed by Angolans under colonial oppression, in the liberation struggle and in defence of the country, and the black is the African continent; the cogwheel stands for workers and industry, the machete for peasants, farming and the armed struggle, the star for international solidarity and progress, and their yellow for the country’s wealth.
More european flags
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with lines or squares and rectangles.
Sources
- Constitution of the Principality of Monaco, 1962, Constitution of 17 December 1962 (rev. 2002), Article 7 (English translation), Constitute Project, Article 7
- Monacos flagg og våpen (Store norske leksikon), Lars Roede, “Monacos flagg og våpen”, Store norske leksikon, Store norske leksikon, Flagget; Riksvåpenet
- Apa Beda Bendera Merah-Putih Indonesia dan Monako? (CNN Indonesia), CNN Indonesia, 19 July 2024, CNN Indonesia, article text
- Undang-Undang Republik Indonesia Nomor 24 Tahun 2009, Law No. 24 of 2009 on the National Flag, Language, Emblem and Anthem, Article 4(1), Hukumonline, Pasal 4 ayat (1)
- Ustawa z dnia 31 stycznia 1980 r. o godle, barwach i hymnie Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej oraz o pieczęciach państwowych (consolidated text, Dz.U. 2025 poz. 299), Act of 31 January 1980 on the arms, colours and anthem of the Republic of Poland and on state seals; consolidated text, Dziennik Ustaw 2025 item 299, Sejm of the Republic of Poland (Dziennik Ustaw, via api.sejm.gov.pl), Art. 4 ust. 1; Załącznik nr 3
- Ces symboles de la Principauté de Monaco que vous ne connaissez peut-être pas (Monaco Tribune), Monaco Tribune, November 2025, Monaco Tribune, article text
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 13, 2026. How we research
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