Madeira Flag

Description

The Madeira flag is available from Flags Online in full-size and desk formats, printed on both sides and made to last outdoors.

About the Madeira Flag

The Madeira flag is flown with just as much pride as any national banner, even though Madeira is an autonomous region of Portugal rather than a country in its own right, marking out the archipelago’s distinct identity in the Atlantic. It is a vertical triband of blue, gold and blue, with a red cross running through the centre of the design. It was formally set out by the regional government rather than emerging gradually from centuries of use, which makes its story a little different from most flags on this list.

Colours and Symbolism

According to the regional authorities who defined the flag’s meaning, blue reflects the sea surrounding the islands and stands for nobility and serenity, while gold points to the mildness of Madeira’s climate and to wealth, strength and constancy. The cross at the centre is a Cross of Christ, the emblem of the Order of Christ, and it links the Madeira flag directly to the archipelago’s discovery by navigators serving under Henry the Navigator, who led that order. It is this cross, more than the colours either side of it, that ties the flag firmly to Madeira’s Portuguese origins.

History of the Madeira Flag

The Madeira flag as it now stands was approved through a regional decree on 12 September 1978, some years after Madeira gained autonomous status within Portugal. Before that decree, a separatist movement had already begun using a similar blue and gold design, minus the cross, to press for independence from Lisbon. Regional lawmakers responded by adopting blue and gold themselves, adding the Cross of Christ to anchor the design firmly to Portugal and to the order that helped settle the islands in the fifteenth century, rather than let the colours be claimed by a separatist cause.

Flying and Displaying the Flag

The Madeira flag is flown alongside the Portuguese national flag on government buildings across the archipelago, including in Funchal, and is a familiar sight during regional events such as Madeira Day. Because it represents an autonomous region rather than a sovereign state, it is not flown in place of the Portuguese flag but beside it, following the usual convention that a national flag takes precedence in size and position. Visitors will see it on ferries, at the airport and outside official buildings throughout the islands, easy to pick out thanks to the red cross running through its blue and gold bands.

Madeira Flag Sizes and Pricing

• 180 x 120cm — R860
• 22 x 15cm Desk Flag (10 units) — R800
• 10 x 15cm Desk Flag (10 units) — R650
• 90 x 60cm — R400

Material and Construction

Made from 100% polyester bunting material and digitally printed on both sides. Hemmed all around with two rows of stitching and finished with a polyester webbing heading. Rope and toggle for hoisting included.

Supplied in packs of 10. Printed on both sides onto polyester and supplied with a black plastic stick and removable base — take the base off and it doubles as a hand waving flag.

Ordering and Delivery

Every Madeira flag is printed to order and dispatched from our Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) and Johannesburg branches, with courier delivery nationwide. Bulk and school orders are welcome — contact us for volume pricing on quantities of 10 or more.

Additional information