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Minorca (Balearic Islands, Spain)

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

by Jaume Ollé

Description
Mistaken Variants
City of Ciutadella (Ciudadela)

See also:

Balearic Islands (Spain)
Spain

Description

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 co