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Purple is one of the least used colors in vexillology and heraldry. Currently, the color appears in only three national flags: that of Dominica, Spain, and Nicaragua, and one co-official national flag, the Wiphala (co-official national flag of Bolivia)[original research?]. However, it is also present in the flags of several administrative subdivisions around the world, as well as flags of political and ethnic groups and sexual minorities.
Background edit
In the past, purple dye was very expensive to produce, with the first compound used as one, Tyrian purple, being made from the mucus of a family of sea snail found only in the eastern Mediterranean and off Mogador Island near Morocco. To produce small amounts of it, it was required to obtain the mucus of thousands of snails, which was extremely labour-intensive. As such, it remained extremely expensive to use the dye, which resulted in it having almost no presence in flags and gaining the reputation as the colour of nobility and royalty, as they were the only groups able to readily afford it.[1] In Asia, the main dye used was Han purple, although it more closely resembles indigo.
During the Medieval Ages, in Europe, the colour was used in the standard of the Kingdom of León, during the reign of Alfonso VII,[2] and in the royal standard of the Kingdom of Castile.[3] Both states united in 1230, forming the Crown of Castile, which continued to use the combination of their flags until 1715.[3] In South America, during the Pre-Columbian era, the Wiphala, a flag used by the subdivisions of the Inca Empire, contained the colour purple.[4]
In the modern era, synthetic purple dyes became easier to obtain, and flags with the colour purple began being used more commonly. In 1931, the Second Spanish Republic established a tricolour flag consisting of red, yellow and purple stripes as its national flag, seeing use in Spain until 1939 and by the Spanish Republican government in exile until 1977. The flag is still sometimes used by supporters of republicanism in Spain.[3]
Currently, the colour appears in only four national flags: that of Dominica, El Salvador, Spain, and Nicaragua, and one co-official national flag, the Wiphala (co-official national flag of Bolivia). However, it is present in the flags of several administrative subdivisions around the world.[1]
National flags edit
Current edit
| Image | Country | Date of adoption | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Bolivia | 7 February 2009 | Used as the co-official national flag; see Wiphala |
 |
Dominica[5] | 3 November 1978 | As purple sisserou parrot, a national symbol (see flag of Dominica) |
 |
El Salvador[6] | 27 May 1912 | As part of the rainbow in the coat of arms (see flag of El Salvador) |
 |
Nicaragua | 27 August 1971 | As part of the rainbow in the coat of arms (see flag of Nicaragua) |
 |
Spain | 5 October 1981 | As purpure lion in the coat of arms (see flag of Spain) |
Historical edit
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Subdivisional flags edit
Current edit
| Image | Administrative division | Country | Date of adoption | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Aberdeenshire | United Kingdom | 22 April 2023 | ||
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Adjuntas | Puerto Rico, United States | see flag of Adjuntas | ||
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Amoroto | Spain | 12 July 1988 | ||
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Amnat Charoen | Thailand | |||
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Balearic Islands | Spain | 1983 | see flag of the Balearic Islands | |
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Bomi County | Liberia | 1965 | ||
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Bueng Kan | Thailand | 23 March 2011 | ||
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Buriram | Thailand | |||
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Department of Cuzco | Peru | 4 June 2021 | see flag of Cusco | |
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Castile and León | Spain | 1983 | see flag of Castile and León | |
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Castile and León | Spain | flag variant; see flag of Castile and León | ||
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Castilla–La Mancha | Spain | 10 August 1986 | see flag of Castilla–La Mancha | |
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Gunma Prefecture | Japan | 25 October 1968 | ||
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Jewish Autonomous Oblast | Russia | 27 October 1996 | As part of the rainbow (see flag of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast) | |
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Kyoto Prefecture | Japan | 2 November 1976 | ||
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Okayama Prefecture | Japan | 1967 | ||
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Quindío Department | Colombia | |||
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Toužetín | Czechia | |||
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Yamanashi Prefecture | Japan | 1 December 1966 | ||
|
Connecticut | United States | 1897 | see Flag of Connecticut |
Historical edit
| Image | Administrative division | Country | Years of usage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Antisuyu | Inca Empire | ||
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Chinchay Suyu | Inca Empire | ||
| |
Qullasuyu | Inca Empire | ||
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Department of Cuzco | Peru | 1978–2021 | see flag of Cusco |
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Jewish Autonomous Oblast | Russia | 1996 | As part of the rainbow (see flag of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast) |
Other flags edit
| Image | Flag | Country | Date of adoption | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Flag of Ibiza | Spain | Flag of the island of Ibiza | |
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Flag of Mallorca | Spain | Flag of the island of Mallorca | |
| |
Wiphala | Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru | Flag used as the symbol of various native peoples around the area of Andes in South America. Historically associated with the Inca Empire |
City flags edit
Current edit
| Image | City | Country | Administrative division | Date of adoption | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |
Amoroto | Spain | Basque Country | 12 July 1988 | |
 |
Málaga | Spain | Andalusia | 14 March 1509 | |
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Ciudad Guayana | Venezuela | Bolívar | As part of the emblem | |
| |
Cusco | Peru | Department of Cuzco | 4 June 2021 | see flag of Cusco |
 |
Ichikawa | Japan | Chiba Prefecture | ||
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Tokyo | Japan | Tokyo | 1 October 1964 | see symbols of Tokyo |
Historical edit
| Image | City | Country | Administrative division | Years of usage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |
Cusco | Peru | Department of Cuzco | 1978–2021 | see flag of Cusco |
| link to the image | Pocatello | United States | Idaho | 2001–2017 | unofficial flag; see flag of Pocatello, Idaho |
LGBT flags edit
| Image | Flag | Year of adoption | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
LGBT pride flag | 1978 | |
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Bisexual flag | 1998 | |
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Labrys lesbian flag | 1999 | |
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Asexual pride flag | 2010 | |
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Demisexual pride flag | 2010 | |
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Gray asexual pride flag | ||
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Intersex flag | 2013 | |
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Non-binary flag | 2014 | |
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Philadelphia Pride Flag | 2017 | |
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Progress Pride | 2018 |
Political flags edit
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See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b "Country Flags With Purple". worldatlas.com.
- ^ a b Menéndez-Pidal de Navascués, Faustino (2004): El Escudo de España [The coat of arms of Spain], Real Academia Matritense de Heráldica y Genealogía, Madrid. pp. 64-78. ISBN 84-88833-02-4.
- ^ a b c "Historia de la Bandera de España". ejercito.defensa.gob.es (in Spanish).
- ^ "Bandera indígena boliviana es incluida como símbolo patrio en nueva Constitución". espanol.upi.com (in Spanish). 22 October 2008.
- ^ "Today is Flag Day in Dominica". Dominica News Online. 19 October 2011. Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
- ^ Minahan, James. (2010). The complete guide to national symbols and emblems. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-34496-1. OCLC 436221284.