The flag of Andorra was raised for the first time in today's pattern in ratio of 8:9:8– three vertical stripes in blue, yellow and red, with the coat of arms in the yellow stripe – in 1866. It was allegedly designed by Emperor Napoleon III. The flag joins blue and red, two colours of the French Tricolour, and yellow and red, the Spanish colours. The style of this flag is such as to better express the French influence on the country. In any case did this Tricolour replace Andorra's flag from 1806, which had shown the traditional colours of the country, yellow and red vertically. These are the colours of the Counts of Foix and even of the Bishop of Urgel.
The coat of arms of Andorra is quartered, and shows in the individual fields a miter (Urgel), three red poles (Foix), four red poles (Roussillon), and two cows (Béarn). Several variations of the flag are flown in the country, sometimes with or without the coat of arms. In 1993 a new constitution was adopted, which guarantees Andorra full sovereignty. Prior Andorra was a kind of French-Spanish fiefdom state. In connexion with this it is possible that hitherto the crown above the escutcheon was deleted.
