Flag of Alcanar

The flag of Alcanar is a white field with three green reeds against the flagpole and a narrow red stripe at the free edge, with a white Maltese cross inside. It is a white space with two groups of figures at opposite ends.

How it came about

Alcanar is a municipality in Montsià, in the province of Tarragona. Its flag was approved on 3 April 2014, and it follows its coat of arms closely.

The three reeds are pulled up by the root, with the roots visible. That detail is what identifies them as reeds and not as any other plant: it is the feature that describes them, and that is why the blazon specifies it.

How it has changed

It has never changed. It was approved in 2014 and there are no documented later modifications.

What it means

• White

  the colour of the field, plain and with no divisions.

• Three reeds

  green and together, at middle height, against the flagpole. Pulled up by the root.

• Red stripe

  vertical and narrow, against the fly side.

• Maltese cross

  white, centred on the red stripe, with the arms narrowing towards the centre.

Fun facts

1. Two groups of figures at opposite ends

   The design places the reeds against the flagpole and the Maltese cross against the fly side, leaving the centre completely white. It is a composition of ends: the eye enters on one side and finds the main figure on the other.

2. The reeds show the root

   The three reeds are drawn with the root exposed. It is what distinguishes them from any other plant: in the Ebro Delta rice grows in the water and its rhizome is left uncovered. The drawing keeps that identifying feature.

3. The Maltese cross, with arms that narrow

   The Maltese cross has its four arms widened on the outside and narrowed towards the centre. It is the traditional form of the military order, and here it goes in white on a narrow red stripe, almost like a seal.

Location