---
title: "Flag of San Marino: colours and meaning"
description: "What every colour and symbol on the San Marino flag stands for, its official 3:4 ratio, and the year the current design was adopted."
url: https://atoneplace.net/flag/san-marino/
site: "At One Place"
---

# The flag of San Marino

**The flag of San Marino: Two equal horizontal bands, white over light blue, with the coat of arms — three towers on three peaks, in a wreath, under a crown — at the centre.**

Ratio 3:4 · current design adopted 1862

The three towers still stand on the three summits of Monte Titano and are visible from most of the surrounding countryside, so the flag is a literal picture of the skyline. San Marino dates its founding to 301 and describes itself as the oldest surviving sovereign republic, which is what LIBERTAS refers to. The state flag carries the arms; the plain white-and-blue bicolour is the civil version. The ostrich feathers on the towers are a heraldic convention and not a local bird.

## What the colours mean

*Flag laws usually specify a Pantone chip, a CMYK mix or just a colour name. Converting any of those to sRGB is lossy, which is why published hex values disagree.*

- **White** (#FFFFFF) — The snow on Monte Titano, and peace
- **Light blue** (#5EB6E4) — The sky, and liberty

## The symbols on it

| What | What it stands for |
| --- | --- |
| Three towers | Guaita, Cesta and Montale, the fortresses on the three peaks of Monte Titano |
| LIBERTAS | The republic's motto, and its claim to be the world's oldest surviving republic |

- **Ratio:** 3:4
- **Current design adopted:** 1862
- **Colours:** white, light blue

## Common questions

### What does the flag of San Marino look like?

Two equal horizontal bands, white over light blue, with the coat of arms — three towers on three peaks, in a wreath, under a crown — at the centre.

### What do the colours of the San Marino flag mean?

White: the snow on Monte Titano, and peace. Light blue: the sky, and liberty.

### When was the San Marino flag adopted?

The current design dates from 1862, and its official ratio is 3:4.

## Related pages

- [San Marino](https://atoneplace.net/country/san-marino/)
- [Every flag with white in it](https://atoneplace.net/flag/colour/white/)
- [The flag of United States](https://atoneplace.net/flag/united-states/)
- [The flag of India](https://atoneplace.net/flag/india/)
- [The flag of United Kingdom](https://atoneplace.net/flag/united-kingdom/)
- [The flag of Canada](https://atoneplace.net/flag/canada/)
- [The flag of Japan](https://atoneplace.net/flag/japan/)
- [The flag of France](https://atoneplace.net/flag/france/)
- [The flag of Russia](https://atoneplace.net/flag/russia/)
- [The flag of Brazil](https://atoneplace.net/flag/brazil/)

## Sources

- Wikidata — Wikimedia Foundation (https://www.wikidata.org/) [CC0 1.0]