Belgium’s flag consists of three equal vertical stripes of black, yellow, and red. The black stripe is nearest the flagpole, followed by yellow and red toward the fly.
The colors are linked to the historic Duchy of Brabant, whose coat of arms featured a gold lion with black details on a red background. During the Belgian Revolution of 1830, the colors appeared in horizontal arrangements influenced by older Brabant revolutionary symbolism. Belgium adopted the vertical design in 1831, helping distinguish its flag from the horizontal tricolor of the Netherlands.
The Belgian flag is often confused with Germany’s flag because both use black, yellow or gold, and red. Germany’s stripes are horizontal and arranged black, red, and gold, while Belgium’s are vertical and arranged black, yellow, and red. Belgium’s official national flag also has an unusual 13:15 proportion, although a 2:3 version is widely used as the civil ensign.