Germany
Authority: Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany (Grundgesetz), Article 22
Germany's flag has an official 3:5 aspect ratio -- not 2:3, which was the ratio used by the earlier Weimar-era black-red-gold tricolour. Three equal horizontal bands of black, red, and gold were established as the federal flag by Article 22 of the Basic Law on 23 May 1949, with the 3:5 proportion set by West German government specification in 1950.
| Parameter / Specification | Standard Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Width to Length Ratio | 3 : 5 | - |
| Established in Basic Law | 23 May 1949 | - |
| 3:5 Ratio Specified | 1950 (West German government specification) | - |
History & Origin
The black-red-gold combination did not originate with the postwar Federal Republic -- it was the flag of the Weimar Republic from 1919 to 1933, itself drawing on colors associated with the liberal, unified-Germany movements of the 19th century, before the Nazi government replaced it with the swastika flag in 1933. When West Germany's constitution, the Basic Law (Grundgesetz), was adopted on 23 May 1949, Article 22 revived the tricolour, stating simply that "the federal flag shall be black, red and gold."
The Basic Law did not initially fix exact proportions, and the Weimar-era flag had used a 2:3 ratio. The West German government issued its own specification in 1950 setting the current, taller 3:5 ratio, distinguishing the postwar flag from its Weimar predecessor even though the colors and stripe order are the same. East Germany used the identical black-red-gold tricolour from 1949 until 1959, when it added a state emblem to the center of its own version to visually distinguish it from West Germany's flag.