Flag of Azores

The flag of the Azores is a field divided into two vertical stripes: a narrow blue one by the flagpole and a wider white one. Over them, a yellow bird with spread wings and nine stars.

How it came about

The Azores are a Portuguese archipelago in the Atlantic. The flag of the autonomy has been official since 10 April 1979.

The bird is a goshawk, the falcon of the island of Terceira, from which the archipelago takes its name. And the nine stars are one per island: the archipelago has nine inhabited islands, and the flag counts them.

How it has changed

It has never changed. It was approved in 1979 and there are no documented later modifications.

What it means

• Blue stripe

  narrow, by the flagpole.

• White stripe

  wide, towards the fly side.

• Goshawk

  a yellow bird with spread wings, over the two stripes.

• Nine stars

  five-pointed, in an arc. One per island.

• Canton

  in the upper corner by the flagpole is the coat of arms of Portugal.

Fun facts

1. Nine stars, nine islands

   The archipelago has nine inhabited islands and the flag has nine stars, one for each. It is a count, not a decoration: the flag enumerates the territory it represents.

2. The coat of arms of Portugal in the canton

   In the upper corner against the flagpole, the canton, is the coat of arms of Portugal. It is a feature of the flags of the Portuguese regions: the national emblem occupies a fixed and recognisable place, and the region identifies itself over the rest of the field.

3. The bird carries the name of the archipelago

   The goshawk is a falcon of the island of Terceira. From that bird, used in falconry, comes the name Azores. The flag puts it in yellow on blue and white so that it reads from a distance.

Location