In heraldry 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 synthe ...

, a Spanish fess is a term occasionally used to describe the central horizontal stripe of a tricolour 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, and in analogy to the equivalent term for vertically striped flags, the

Canadian pale In heraldry and vexillology, a Canadian pale is a centre band of a vertical Triband (flag), triband flag (a pale (heraldry), pale in heraldry) that covers half the length of a flag, rather than a third as in most triband designs. This allows more s ...

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 French Polynesia (french: drapeau de la Polynésie française) is the civil and state flag of the French overseas country French Polynesia. It was adopted in 1984. Description Two red horizontal bands encase a wide white band in a 1 ...

, 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 The flag of Israel ( he, דגל ישראל '; ar, علم إسرائيل ') was adopted on 28 October 1948, five months after the establishment of the State of Israel. It depicts a blue hexagram on a white background, between two horizontal blu ...

lacked the top and bottom white bands, it too would have featured a Spanish fess.

Flag gallery

1:2:1 proportions

File:Flag of Cambodia.svg ,

Flag of Cambodia The flag of Cambodia ( km, ទង់ជាតិកម្ពុជា, ; ) in its present form was originally adopted in 1948 and readopted in 1993, after the 1993 Cambodian Constituent Assembly election, Constituent Assembly election in 199 ...

File:Flag of Laos.svg ,

Flag of Laos The flag of Laos ( Lao: ທຸງຊາດລາວ; ''thungsad Lāo'') consists of three horizontal stripes, with the middle stripe in blue being twice the height of the top and bottom red stripes. In the middle is a white disc, the diameter of ...

File:Flag of Lebanon.svg ,

Flag of Lebanon The national flag of Lebanon ( ar, علم لبنان) is formed of two horizontal red stripes enveloping a horizontal white stripe. The white stripe is twice the height (width) of the red ones (ratio 1:2:1)—a Spanish fess. The green cedar (L ...

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 The flag of French Polynesia (french: drapeau de la Polynésie française) is the civil and state flag of the French overseas country French Polynesia. It was adopted in 1984. Description Two red horizontal bands encase a wide white band in a 1 ...

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 File:Flag of Crimea.svg, Flag of Crimea 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 File:Flag of Mauritania.svg,

Flag of Mauritania The flag of Mauritania ( ar, علم موريتانيا, french: Drapeau de la Mauritanie) is a green field containing a gold star and crescent, with two red stripes at the top and bottom of the field. The original national flag was introduced und ...

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

1:2:1 proportions

Other proportions

See also