Many people are surprised to learn how much information is conveyed by the national flag. The flag tells its people's story and although the main colours are green and red, other colours as yellow and blue also feature in the flag.

The five blue shields represent the victory of Don Afonso Henriques (also known as King Afonso I, the first King of Portugal) over the five Moorish kings whom he defeated in the Battle of Ourique.

The white shield with the five small blue shields inside is the Armor of King Afonso. The legend has it that in the Battle of Ourique the crucified Christ appeared before King Afonso and said: "With this sign [the white shield], you will conquer!".

The dots inside each of the small blue shields are said to represent the five wounds of Christ.

The seven castles around the main white shield represent the fortified locations that King Afonso conquered from the Moors.

The yellow sphere represents the world and peoples that Portuguese navigators discovered in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.

The green colour represents hope and the red the courage and the blood of the Portuguese fallen in combat.

Posted: 2007-03-22      Click here to go back to summary