Country
The national flag of France is a tricolour featuring three vertical bands coloured blue, white, and red. The design was adopted during the French Revolution and has remained the national flag since then, with only minor variations in shade and proportion. While not the first tricolour, it became one of the most influential flags in history. The tricolour scheme was later adopted by many other nations in Europe and elsewhere, and, according to the Encyclopædia Britannica, has historically stood "in symbolic opposition to the autocratic and clericalist royal standards of the past".
France does not have an official coat of arms, but has an unofficial emblem. It depicts a lictor's fasces upon branches of laurel and oak, as well as a ribbon bearing the national motto of Liberté, égalité, fraternité. The full achievement includes the star and grand collar of the Legion of Honour. This composition was created in 1905 by heraldic painter-engraver Maurice de Meyère, and it has been used at the Foreign Ministry during state visits and for presidential inaugurations.
Beyond the national coat of arms, France is divided into regions and provinces, each carrying its own heraldic identity. Click on France on the interactive map to explore its administrative subdivisions and discover the coats of arms of each region, province, and territory.