Flag of North Rhine-Westphalia

The flag of the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia is a horizontal tricolor consisting of green, white and red.

UseCivil flag and ensign

Proportion3:5 (or 1:2)

Adopted1953 (in use from 1948)

DesignA horizontal tricolour of green, white, and red.

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North Rhine-Westphalia


Landesflagge
Use	Civil flag and ensign
Proportion	3:5 (or 1:2)
Adopted	1953 (in use from 1948)
Design	A horizontal tricolour of green, white, and red.


Landesdienstflagge

Use	State flag
Proportion	3:5 (or 1:2)
Adopted	1953 (in use from 1948)
Design	The civil flag with the addition of the coat of arms.

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Design

After the establishment of North Rhine-Westphalia in 1946, the tricolor was first introduced in 1948, but was not formally adopted until 1953.^[1] The plain variant of the tricolor is considered the civil flag and state ensign, while government authorities use the state flag (Landesdienstflagge) which is defaced with the state's coat of arms.^[1]

The flag is a combination of the two former provinces of Prussia that comprise most of the state: the Rhine Province and Westphalia. The state ensign can easily be mistaken for the flag of Hungary, as well as the former civil flag of Iran (Persia) (1910–1980) and the flag of the Parti patriote. The same flag was used by the Rhenish Republic (1923–1924) as a symbol of independence and freedom.

Flags from preceding Prussian provinces:

Rhine Province (1822–1946)	Westphalia (1815–1946)

Colors

The "Law on the State Colors, the State Coat of Arms and the State Flag" defines the "state colors" as simply "green-white-red", with no further specifications.^[1] On 2 June 1999, the federal cabinet introduced a corporate design for the German government which defined "green" as RGB 0,133,74 or PANTONE® 7731, and red as RGB 0,119,182 or PANTONE® 307, but it is unclear if these guidelines apply to the states, and in any case, in practice the specific shades can vary wildly, especially in unofficial uses.^[2]^[3]