Switzerland flag: Learn about the origins

Learn about the origins, symbolism and variations of the Swiss flag with a white cross on a red background. Find out more about Switzerland's country information, such as population, capital, currency and flags of neighboring countries. ^ List of Swiss flags in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland. ^ Appendix 2, Wappenschutzgesetz (SR 232.21), 21 June 2013 (effective 1 January 2017) [length of an arm: 7 units, width of the cross: 20 units, width of the flag: 32 units; ratio of cross width to field width: 20:32 = 5:8]. ^ "The coat of arms of the federation is, within a red field, an upright white cross, whose [four] arms of equal length are one and a sixth times as long as they are ... The Swiss flag, called "Fahne" in German-speaking Switzerland, is a white cross on a red background. It is in the shape of a square. The well-known and striking flag of Switzerland ultimately is based on the imperial war flag of the Holy Roman Empire, which bore a white cross on red. Many Swiss soldiers served in the imperial army as well as in their own cantons.