Flag of Switzerland

Flag origins

Switzerland’s flag has a simple design: a white cross at the center of a red field. The white cross has been used since the Middle Ages as a symbol of the Old Swiss Confederacy. According to the Swiss government, fourteenth-century records already document its use to identify Swiss soldiers in battle. It later became a common symbol connecting people whose individual regions used different flags. The present flag has a white cross with equal-length arms on red. The law specifies that each arm is one-sixth longer than it is wide. A particularly distinctive feature is the square shape, rather than the usual rectangle.

Flag story

The red cross emblem used around the world strongly resembles the Swiss flag, and this is no coincidence. Henry Dunant, who played a major role in establishing the International Committee of the Red Cross, was Swiss. The Geneva Convention of 1864 adopted a red cross on white as a common emblem identifying those caring for people wounded in war. This reverses the colors of Switzerland’s white cross on red. The ICRC also explains that this reversal paid tribute to Switzerland.

Editorial notes and references

Edited by ABELHA WORKS. The English text translates the administrator-edited Japanese description. Legends should be distinguished from documented history. General reference links do not substantiate every statement in the text.

• Switzerland — general information on Wikipedia
• Japan MOFA: countries and regions (Japanese)

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