Introduction
The flag of Gibraltar is an elongated banner of arms: a white field over a red band, charged with a three-towered red castle and a golden key hanging from it.
It is the only flag of a British Overseas Territory that carries no Union Jack in any form.
Meaning & Symbolism
The castle and key are older than the British presence. They come from the arms granted by Isabella I of Castile in 1502, and the grant itself explains them: the castle for the fortress and the key because Gibraltar is the key to the entrance of the Mediterranean.
History of the Gibraltar Flag
The arms were granted by royal warrant on 10 July 1502, ten years after Granada fell and while Gibraltar was still Spanish. Britain took the Rock in 1704 and kept the Castilian arms.
The flag in its present elongated banner form was adopted on 8 November 1982. Every other British Overseas Territory flies a defaced ensign with the Union Jack in the canton; Gibraltar is the exception, although the Union Jack is widely flown there on its own.
Curiosities
- It is the only British Overseas Territory flag with no Union Jack in it.
- The arms were granted by Isabella I of Castile in 1502, two centuries before Britain took the Rock.
- The key means exactly what it looks like: Gibraltar as the key to the Mediterranean.
- The design is a banner of arms, the shield stretched to fill the cloth.
- Britain kept the Spanish arms after 1704 rather than replacing them.
Download Flag
Download the flag of Gibraltar in high-quality SVG vector format or PNG raster images. SVG files can be scaled to any size without losing quality.
Digital icon artwork; its proportions may differ from the official flag proportions listed on this page.