tenerife flag scotland saltire similarity explained

Why Tenerife’s flag looks just like Scotland’s Saltire

An uncanny visual coincidence

The striking visual similarity between the flag of Tenerife and the flag of Scotland is one of the most curious historical mysteries in the Canary Islands. At first glance, the two are practically identical: both share the same dark blue background and the same white diagonal cross. This exact visual match even caught the attention of Hugh Elliott, the UK’s ambassador to Spain until 2024, during an official visit to the Cabildo of Tenerife (the island’s governing body). However, despite sharing a near-identical emblem, the history behind each flag stems from radically different cultural contexts. While the Scottish flag’s origin is tied to Christian faith, medieval battle legends and the nation’s patron saint, the flag of Tenerife owes its existence to pure 19th-century maritime bureaucracy.

Why Tenerife adopted the design

The explanation for why Tenerife adopted this design has nothing to do with the history of the Scottish people or religious motives, but rather with the commercial and naval needs of 19th-century Spain. The origin of the Tenerife flag dates back to a state regulation issued on 30 July 1845: the Royal Order of 1845. This law assigned different visual codes to Spain’s various maritime provinces. The purpose of these signal codes was to allow merchant ships from each province to identify one another at sea and within sight of ports. Vessels were required to fly this flag from their main mast alongside the national flag. The maritime province of the Canary Islands (based in Tenerife) was assigned the combination of a white saltire on a blue background entirely by chance.

More than a century after its use at sea, the Cabildo of Tenerife officially institutionalised this naval signal as the island’s representative flag in 1989.

The Scottish Saltire: legend and faith

Across the Atlantic, the Scottish flag – traditionally known as the Saltire – has a mystical, ancient background dating back to the 9th century. The white diagonal cross represents the cross on which Saint Andrew was martyred. According to Church tradition, the saint asked to be crucified on a diagonal cross because he did not consider himself worthy of dying in the same manner as Jesus Christ. Then, during a decisive battle in the 9th century, the Scottish king prayed for divine help. Legend has it that a huge white cross appeared in the sky. After winning the battle, the Scots declared Saint Andrew their national patron and adopted the Saltire as their great symbol of cultural identity.

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