FRANCE - NATIONAL FLAG
The national flag of France is known as drapeau tricolore, drapeau francais, drapeau bleu-blanc-rouge and le tricolore. In military parlance, the flag is called les couleurs,
COLOURS OF THE FLAG
Blue, White and Red are the three colors used on the national flag of France. Each color of the French flag combines different symbols. Blue is the color of Saint Martin. He was a rich Gallo-Roman officer, who ripped his blue coat with his sword in order to give one-half of it to a poor begging in the snow. So blue symbolizes the care and duty the rich had to help the poor.
Color White symbolizes the Virgin Mary. Louis XIII consecrated the Kingdom of France to the Virgin Mary in the 17th century. White is also the Joan of Arc. Under his banner, the English were driven out of the Kingdom of France in the 15th century. White became the color of the Royalty. Red represents Saint Denis, the saint patron of Paris.
ORIGIN OF THE FLAG
It can be said that the colors of the Flag are basically those of Paris that were used on the day of the storming of the Bastille. The Flag was created in the year 1790. An interesting fact is that the colors of the flag were the reverse of what they are today. Red was at the hoist. In the present France flag, Blue is at the hoist. The flag was revised to its present form, four year later in 1794.
After Napoleon I was defeated at Waterloo, the flag went out of use. Lafayette was the one, who brought it back. Since then, the flag has remained in use.
DESIGN OF THE FLAG
The national flag of France is 50% longer than its width. The proportion of the flag is 2:3. The three stripes of the flag in blue, white and red are of equal width. Earlier the stripes of the flag were of different width. The proportion was 30 for the blue section, 33 for the white section and 37 for the red section. The proportions were changed under Napoleon I so that the stripes looked equal. After a regulation dated 17 May, 1853, the navy again started using the 30:33:37 proportions.
INFLUENCE OF THE FLAG
The flag of France represented a new revolutionary movement. The Flag had an influence on a number of flags. The French Flag influenced the placement of the colors on the Romania Flag.
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