Flag of Thailand

Thong Chat Thai ; (Thong Trairong)
	; ;
Vexillological symbol :	?
Aspect ratio:	2: 3
Officially accepted:	September 28, 1917

The flag of Thailand ( Thai ธงชาติ ไทย , RTGS Thong Chat Thai , pronounced: [ tʰoŋ t͡ɕʰâːt tʰaj ]), also called Thong Trairong ( ธง ไตรรงค์ , Trairanga , from Sanskrit tri 'three' and raṅga 'color', synonymous with tricolor ), became on September 28, 1917 by King Rama VI. (Vajiravudh) introduced.

Description and meaning

Structure of the flag (length and width ratios)

The national flag shows five horizontal stripes in red-white-blue-white-red, with the blue middle field being twice as wide as the other four stripes. The strips are nine times as long as one of the narrow strips is wide.

Red stands for the nation, white for religion and blue for the monarchy.

history

The Siam flag from Johnson's new chart of national emblems (1868)

The first flag of Siam , which consisted only of a red area, was introduced under King Narai (1656–1688). Naval flags were later used with various symbols on the red background, for example a white chakra (the coat of arms of the god Vishnu , which was also the symbol of the house of Chakri ) or a white elephant in the middle of the chakra.

The first official flag was introduced in 1855 by King Mongkut (Rama IV.) And showed a white elephant (the royal symbol) on a red background, as the pure red flag had too little individual character for international relations.

In 1916 the flag was changed and got its current stripe design, although the middle color was kept in the same shade of red as the outer stripes. Tradition has it that King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) saw the previous flag hanging on his head during a flood. To prevent this, he designed a new flag that was symmetrical in design. In 1917 the middle color was changed to dark blue, the auspicious color of Saturday in Thai astrology , the day King Vajiravudh was born. According to other sources, the blue color is said to have been chosen to honor the allies in World War I ( France , Great Britain , Russia , USA ), whose flags are also red-white-blue.

^? Siam service flag (approx. 1700–1782)
^? Siam service flag (1782–1855)
^? Siam service flag (1817–1855)
^? Flag of Siam (1855-1916)
^? Flag of Thailand (1916-1917)
^? Front of the war flag in World War I
^? Back of the war flag in World War I

Naval flags

Naval war flag

The Thai Naval War Flag is the same as the national flag, with a red circle in the center that goes from the red stripes at the top to the bottom of the flag. A white elephant is depicted in the center of the circle, fully clothed and directed his gaze towards the flagpole. The jack of the Royal Thai Navy also has the design of the national flag, but also contains the emblem of the Royal Thai Navy in the center. The design of the uniform of the Marine Regiment (ธงชัย เฉลิม พล) also corresponds to this flag. Both flags have been in use since 1917.

^? Naval War Flag (since 1917)
^? Gösch of the Royal Navy (since 1917)

Trivia

The flag is similar in structure and color selection to the flag of Costa Rica , which was adopted eleven years before the flag of Thailand. The difference is the distribution of the red and blue stripes, which in Costa Rica's flag is exactly the opposite of the Thai flag.

swell

National flag at half mast

Chawingam Macharoen: Thong Thai Laem 1 2002, ISBN 974-419-454-5 .

Web links

Commons : Flags of Thailand - collection of images, videos and audio files

Flags of the World - Thailand (English)
Siam flag. Many pictures of old flags of Siam (Thai)
Historical flags of Thailand

Thong Chat Thai (Thong Trairong)

Vexillological symbol :	^?
Aspect ratio:	2: 3
Officially accepted:	September 28, 1917