heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known bran ...

and

vexillology Vexillology ( ) is the study of the history, symbolism and usage of flags or, by extension, any interest in flags in general.Smith, Whitney. ''Flags Through the Ages and Across the World'' New York: McGraw-Hill, 1975. Print. The word is a synth ...

, a Spanish fess is a term occasionally used to describe the central horizontal stripe of a

tricolour A tricolour () or tricolor () is a type of flag or banner design with a triband design which originated in the 16th century as a symbol of republicanism, liberty, or revolution. The flags of France, Italy, Romania, Mexico, and Ireland were ...

or triband flag that is twice the width of the stripes on either side of it. The name is based on the most well-known example of this style of flag, the

flag of Spain The national flag of Spain ( es, Bandera de España), as it is defined in the Constitution of 1978, consists of three horizontal stripes: red, yellow and red, the yellow stripe being twice the size of each red stripe. Traditionally, the middle ...

, and in analogy to the equivalent term for vertically striped flags, the Canadian pale.

Looser definition

As with the Canadian pale, a looser definition of Spanish fess also exists, in which the central stripe is considerably larger than, but not necessarily twice the width of the two outer stripes. Other flags featuring a Spanish fess include the national flags of

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...

, Laos and

Tajikistan Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...

, the restored

flag of Libya The national flag of Libya was originally introduced in 1951, following the creation of the Kingdom of Libya. It was designed by Omar Faiek Shennib and approved by King Idris Al Senussi who comprised the UN delegation representing the three re ...

, the flag of French Polynesia, the

flag of Prussia The state of Prussia had its origins in the separate lands of the Margraviate of Brandenburg and of the Duchy of Prussia. The Margraviate of Brandenburg developed from the medieval Northern March of the Holy Roman Empire, passing to the House ...

, and the proposed national flag of Cyprus. Had the flag of Israel lacked the top and bottom white bands, it too would have featured a Spanish fess.

Flag gallery

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File:Flag of Cambodia.svg , Flag of Cambodia File:Flag of Laos.svg , Flag of Laos File:Flag of Lebanon.svg , Flag of Lebanon File:Flag of Libya.svg ,

Flag of Libya The national flag of Libya was originally introduced in 1951, following the creation of the Kingdom of Libya. It was designed by Omar Faiek Shennib and approved by King Idris Al Senussi who comprised the UN delegation representing the three re ...

File:Flag of French Polynesia.svg , Flag of French Polynesia File:Flag_of_Asunción.svg, Flag of

Asunción Asunción (, , , Guarani: Paraguay) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay o ...

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

Other proportions

File:Flag of Belize.svg,

Flag of Belize The flag of Belize was adopted on 21 September 1981, the day Belize became independent. It consists of the Coat of Arms on a blue field with red stripes at the top and bottom. British Honduras obtained a coat of arms on 28 January 1907, which ...

File:Flag of Crimea.svg,

Flag of Crimea The flag of Crimea (russian: Флаг Крыма, Flag Kryma; uk, Прапор Криму, Prapor Krymu; crh, Qırım bayrağı / Къырым байрагъы) is the flag of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in Ukraine and the Republic of Cr ...

File:Proposed flag of the United Cyprus Republic.svg, Proposed flag of Cyprus File:Flag of New Orleans, Louisiana.svg, Flag of New Orleans File:Flag of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (9x7).png, Flag of the

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (translation: Maharashtra Reformation Army; MNS) is a Regionalist far-right Indian political party based in the state of Maharashtra and operates on the ideology of " Hindutva" and "Marathi" Manus. It was found ...

File:Flag of Mauritania.svg, Flag of Mauritania File:Flag of Prussia 1892-1918.svg,

Flag of Prussia The state of Prussia had its origins in the separate lands of the Margraviate of Brandenburg and of the Duchy of Prussia. The Margraviate of Brandenburg developed from the medieval Northern March of the Holy Roman Empire, passing to the House ...

File:Flag of Tajikistan.svg,

Flag of Tajikistan The national flag of Tajikistan ( tg, Парчами Тоҷикистон / Parçami Tojikiston / پَرچَمِ تاجِیکِستان) was adopted in November 1992, replacing the flag of the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic of 1953. The flag is ...

Looser definition

Flag gallery

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Other proportions

See also