La Rioja
Flag
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Flag
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Autonomous Community
La Rioja is a small autonomous community in northern Spain, one of the country's single-province regions. Bordered by the Ebro River to the north, it is internationally renowned as Spain's most celebrated wine-producing region. Formerly the Province of Logroño, it became its own autonomous community in 1982, taking the name La Rioja from the Río Oja, a tributary of the Najerilla river. The region's heraldic symbols reflect its medieval history at the crossroads of the kingdoms of Castile, León, and Navarre.
| Autonomous Community | La Rioja |
|---|---|
| Capital | Logroño |
| Area | 5,045 km² |
| Official language | Spanish |
| Statute of Autonomy | 1982 |
| Location | Northern Spain, Ebro valley |
La Rioja's coat of arms is a quartered shield combining the emblems of the historic kingdoms that shaped the region.
The first quarter bears the castle of Castile (gold castle on red); the second the lion of León (purple lion on silver); the third the chains of Navarre (gold chains on red), recalling the region's medieval position at the border of the Navarrese kingdom; and the fourth a local element. The shield is ensigned with a royal crown and framed by a green border. It is displayed on the white band of the flag.
La Rioja's arms reflect its medieval position at the intersection of Castile, León, and Navarre. The autonomous community adopted this quartered design at its constitution in 1982, directly referencing the three medieval kingdoms that shaped the territory.
Flag of La Rioja — four horizontal bands: red, white, green, yellow, with coat of arms
The flag of La Rioja consists of four equal horizontal bands — red at the top, then white, green, and yellow at the bottom — with the coat of arms of La Rioja centered on the white band.
It was first sanctioned in 1979 by the governing body of the then Province of Logroño and formalized by the Statute of Autonomy of La Rioja of 1982, which specifies the four bands of equal size.
The precise symbolic meaning of the four colors is not officially codified, though they are sometimes associated with the historical counties and natural landscapes of the region, as well as with its viticultural wealth (green for vineyards, yellow for grain, red for wine, white for clarity).
The flag of La Rioja has four equal horizontal bands in red (top), white, green, and yellow (bottom), with the coat of arms centered on the white band. It was formalized by the Statute of Autonomy of 1982.
The four colors — red, white, green, and yellow — are specified by the Statute of Autonomy. Their precise symbolic origins are debated; they are informally linked to the region's landscapes and agricultural identity as Spain's premier wine-producing region.
The coat of arms is a quartered shield combining elements from Castile (gold castle on red), León (purple lion on silver), and Navarre (gold chains on red), ensigned with a royal crown and framed by a green border, reflecting La Rioja's medieval position between three kingdoms.
The flag was first sanctioned in 1979 by the governing body of the Province of Logroño, and officially formalized by the Statute of Autonomy of La Rioja in 1982.
Yes. La Rioja is one of Spain's single-province autonomous communities. Formerly called the Province of Logroño, it became its own autonomous community in 1982, taking its name from the Río Oja that characterizes the region.
Last reviewed by the Emblema Mundi editorial team on June 29, 2026.