Minorca (Balearic Islands, Spain)

Menorca, Minorca Island Council, Consejo/Consell Insular de Menorca

Last modified: 2001-09-14 by santiago dotor
Keywords: spain | balearic islands | minorca | menorca | consejo insular | consell insular | stripes: 9 | coat-of-arms | octogon: curved | ciutadella | ciudadela | castle (white) | lozenge |
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by Jaume Ollé

• Description
• Mistaken Variants
• City of Ciutadella (Ciudadela)

See also:

• Balearic Islands (Spain)
• Spain

The flag of Minorca Island was adopted 14th November 1983. It is the Catalan flag with the coat-of-arms of the "General University" (the name of the old municipal administration, the only local administration of the island).

Jaume Ollé, 13 December 1996

I spent a week in August 1999 in Minorca, the easternmost island of the Balearics (and actually the easternmost Spanish territory). Minorca (Menorca in Catalan and Spanish) was British from 1714 to 1802, except for a brief period under French domination, so the (first) Union Flag flew over there for quite a while!

The flag of Minorca is the Catalan-Aragonese flag with the peculiar coat-of-arms of Minorca offset to the hoist, as in FOTW. The official flag is quite as Jaume Ollé's GIF, only the coat-of-arms is slightly larger, going from the middle of the second yellow stripe to the middle of the fourth. Otherwise the drawing is very similar to the information I received last January from the Govern Balear (Balearic Autonomous Government), and to the flags displayed in official buildings throughout the island. There are however many variations/mistakes.

None of the cities I visited have (or at least none flew) a city flag, including the capital Maó (Mahón). The only exception was Ciutadella. Funnily enough, I was unable to buy a flag of Minorca anywhere in the island. I visited many shops, dealing in souvenirs, Minorcan articles, Minorcan books, yacht supply shops and the like to no avail. Pity!

Santiago Dotor, 3 September 1999

According to the Manual del Estado Español (Handbook of the Spanish State, Spanish text only) by Editorial Lama, the coat-of-arms (without date) is:

Sobre octógono curvilíneo en azul celeste, torre de plata sobrepuesta a edificio con tejado del mismo metal, la torre coronada por una cruz potenciada y entre la cruz y la torre una veleta horizontal con punta hacia la derecha y flanqueada por dos escuditos en losange de oro y las cuatro barras reales de Cataluña-Aragón en gules. El pie de la torre rodeado de una muralla pentagonal en plata con cuatro torres del mismo metal en los entrepaños y una puerta en el panel de la muralla central.

Pascal Vagnat, 16 July 1999

There are many variations/mistakes. The most common one is a much larger coat-of-arms, reaching from the middle of the first red stripe to the middle of the fourth red stripe. I have crudely enlarged the coat-of-arms in Jaume Ollé's GIF:

Wrong variation, coat-of-arms too large
by Santiago Dotor and Jaume Ollé

Another common variation is a centered coat-of-arms (instead of offset to the hoist).

Wrong variation, centered coat-of-arms
by Santiago Dotor and Jaume Ollé

Finally, a third variation is a coat-of-arms with straight instead of engrailed octogon sides.

Wrong variation, coat-of-arms with straight sides
by Santiago Dotor and Jaume Ollé

None of the cities I visited have (or at least none flew) a city flag, including the capital Maó (Mahón). The only exception was Ciutadella. Funnily enough, I was unable to buy a flag of Minorca anywhere in the island. I visited many shops, dealing in souvenirs, Minorcan articles, Minorcan books, yacht supply shops and the like to no avail. Pity!

Santiago Dotor, 3 September 1999

In August 1999 I picked up a leaflet published by the Consell Insular de Menorca (island council i.e. government), displaying a large picture of an actual Minorca flag. Most astonishingly, the coat-of-arms displayed on it is a mistaken version, the third (straight octogon sides) variety described above. One more instance that an official publication does not necessarily imply correct vexillological information... Here is a scan.

Santiago Dotor, 20 March 2001

by Santiago Dotor

Ciutadella (Spanish Ciudadela, meaning citadel in English) was the former capital of the island up to 1714, when the British made Maó (Mahón) capital. Its flag is red (not crimson) with the lozenge-shaped coat-of-arms of the city in the middle. You can see the coat-of-arms in the city's official website.

Santiago Dotor, 3 September 1999