Madeira (Portugal)

Last modified: 2015-02-14 by klaus-michael schneider
Keywords: madeira | cross(christ knights) | monk seal | armillary sphere |
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• About the flag
• President's flag
• Presentation of Madeira
• Other flags

• Subdivisions of Madeira
• Subdivisions of Portugal
• Madeira Liberation Democratic Movement
• Madeira Archipelago Liberation Front
• Portugal

About the flag

Vertically blue yellow blue with a cross of the Order of Christ.
Željko Heimer, 25 Nov 1995

This flag is listed under number 16 at the chart Flags of Aspirant Peoples [eba94] as: «Madeira (Island province) - Portugal».
Ivan Sache, 12 Sep 1999

The flag of the autonomous region of Madeira is to be seen everywhere. Most flags I have seen in Madeira are plastic, not cloth. On boats, it is always associated with the Portuguese national flag. The coat of arms of the region has the same pattern (with apparently the central stripe slightly larger than the other ones) and is shown on buildings, buses, documents etc.
Ivan Sache, 18 Feb 2001

President's flag

Flag:
It is a light blue flag - having approximately the shade of the UN-flags - with the regional greater arms in its centre. There are various versions with different ratios, approx. 3:4, some indoor versions have a golden fringe
Coat of Arms:
The central shield is Azure a pale Or charged with a Cross of the Christ Knights' Order (which is the island's flag pattern). The shield is supported by two monk seals (Portuguese: lobos marinhos), surrounded by scarves of Or and Azure and topped by an armillary sphere Or. Beneath the shield is a white scroll reading in black initials "DAS ILHAS AS MAIS BELAS E LIVRES" (="of all islands, the most beautiful and free;").
Meaning:
The monk seals are the only large mammals found by the Portuguese discoveres. They are an endangered species to be be preserved. The armillary sphere is symbolizing the Portuguese "Age of Discovery" (a sphere is on top of nearly every church of the island) and referring to King Manuel I, who ordered the settlement of the island.
Jorge Candeias spotted this flag.
Jorge Candeias, António Martins-Tuválkin and Klaus-Michael Schneider, 17 Mar 2005

Presentation of Madeira

Madeira has a total area of 794 km², and a population of 253 000 inhabitants as of 1991, living in eleven municipalities.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 24 July 2001

Other flags

As in Brazil, there are in Madeira some samba schools, each with it’s own flag.
Jorge Candeias, 22 Feb 2001