Flag of the province of Ourense

The flag of the province of Ourense (Orense, in Galician) is a blue field with eleven white circles in a row, against the edge of the free side. It is very different from most provincial flags, which are a plain colour with a coat of arms in the middle: here the drawing is what counts.

How it came about

Until the end of the twentieth century the province had no approved flag. The Provincial Council fixed the design in 1997 and regulated it formally on 30 January 1998. The rule was published in the official bulletin of the province on 12 February 1998. It is therefore an official and recent flag.

How it has changed

It has not changed since 1997. There is a usage rule, though: the coat of arms of the province is only placed in the centre when the flag is displayed on civilian public buildings, alongside those of Spain and Galicia.

What it means

• Blue: the colour of the ground. The rule defines it as a mixture of two Pantone shades, but gives no further explanation.
• Eleven white circles: they represent the rivers of the province that gave rise to its comarcas, the natural areas into which the territory is divided.
• Coat of arms (only on public buildings): a bridge of five arches, a castle, a lion and a royal crown.

Fun facts

1. A river for each circle

   The eleven white circles are not decoration: each one recalls a river that gave rise to one of the natural comarcas of the province.

2. A whole book to explain one flag

   In 2009 La bandera, enseña institucional y elemento protocolario was published, a book devoted to the history, the rules and the correct use of the provincial flag.

Localisation