Major changes through time: Facts and History of Portugal flag
Having two unequal divided colour stripes, the Portuguese flag has a centered coat of arms uniting the two green and red stripes.
Adopted 1911, the current national ensign was designed to replace the Monarchy’s flag.
Facts and History of Portugal flag indicate the reason why the recent Portuguese flag colour choice is very different from the flag’s colours in the past: due to the fact that the monarchist Portugal always used to have blue and white flag combined with the national coat of arms, this drastic change regarding the colours indicates an important reform in the state’s administrative type: a new Republican state with green colour indicating hope and red, the colour of the blood of the heroes that died defending it.