Switzerland
Authority: Federal Act on the Protection of the Swiss Coat of Arms
The national flag of Switzerland is one of only two square national flags worldwide, possessing an exact 1:1 aspect ratio. The white cross arms are 1/6 longer than they are wide. Standard color is Pantone 485 C.
| Parameter / Specification | Standard Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Hoist to Fly Ratio | 1 : 1 (Square) | - |
| Swiss Red Color Code | Pantone 485 C | - |
History & Origin
The Swiss white cross on red predates the modern nation by centuries. Its origins are usually traced to the battle of Laupen in 1339, where soldiers from the canton of Bern reportedly sewed white crosses onto their armor to distinguish themselves from opposing forces, and the canton of Schwyz is recorded using a white cross on red even earlier, in 1240. The symbol only became a formal national flag much later: Switzerland incorporated the cross into its constitution in 1848, and the precise geometry -- an upright cross with arms of equal length, centered on a square field -- was fixed in 1889.
The connection to the Red Cross runs in the opposite direction from what many assume. Because the Geneva Conventions establishing the International Committee of the Red Cross were negotiated in Switzerland in 1864, the organization adopted a color-reversed version of the Swiss flag -- a red cross on white -- as its emblem, a mark of respect to its host nation rather than the other way around.