Portugal is the first country to change its national flag explicitly for ideological reasons. The Portuguese flag adopted in 1910 has been altered almost beyond recognition.
The flag since 1910 had symbols of castles and crests to symbolize the socialist government after the last monarchy was overthrown. It was a symbol of committing to a government of the people but that is now a canceled concept.
The Portuguese government spent €74,000 to redesign it and get rid of those castles and crests and they came up with…two rectangles and a circle. Optimo.
The government said this about the redesign: “It is a new and distinct symbol, representative of the Government of the Portuguese Republic, which responds more effectively to new contexts, determined by the sophistication of dynamic digital communication and a reinforced ecological awareness.” They added that the image is “also inclusive, plural and secular.”
