Editing Flag of Belgium (section)

==Variants==
[[File:RoyalPalaceBrusselsFlag.jpg|thumb|The flag on the [[Royal Palace of Brussels]]]]
[[File:Hasselt Stadhuis 3.JPG|thumb|The 2:3 ratio is more commonly displayed on town halls. Pictured: town hall of [[Hasselt]].]]

=== National flag and civil ensign ===
The national flag has the unusual proportions of 13:15.
The 2:3 flag is the [[civil ensign]], the correct flag for use by civilians at sea.<ref name=FOTWcivil>{{Cite web|title=Civil flag and Ensign of Belgium|url=http://flagspot.net/flags/be~civ.html|publisher= [[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]]|date=17 April 2009|access-date=3 November 2009}}</ref><gallery>
File:Flag of Belgium.svg|Flag of Belgium
File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg|Civil flag of Belgium 
</gallery>

=== Government Ensign of Belgium ===
The Belgian government ensign is used by state-owned vessels and government agencies operating at sea, including customs, police, and coast guard vessels, as well as official transport ships for Belgian authorities and maritime service vessels like those for pilotage, hydrography, and lighthouse maintenance. It distinguishes these ships from civilian vessels (which use the national flag) and navy.

The Belgian government ensign consists of a vertical tricolour of black, yellow, and red defaced by a lion [[rampant]] ensigned by a crown, both [[Sable (heraldry)|sable]] (black), the lion armed and [[langued]] [[gules]] (red).<gallery>
File:Government Ensign of Belgium.svg|Government Ensign of Belgium
</gallery>

===Naval ensign and jack===
The [[naval ensign]] of Belgium has the three [[national colours]] in a [[saltire]], on a white [[Glossary of vexillology#Flag elements|field]], with a black crown above crossed cannons at the top and a black anchor at the bottom. It was created in 1950, shortly after the [[Belgian Navy]] was re-established, having been a section of the British [[Royal Navy]] during [[World War II]], and it is reminiscent of the [[white ensign|White Ensign]] of the Royal Navy.<ref name=FOTWnavy>{{Cite web|title=Belgium: Naval ensign and jack|url=http://flagspot.net/flags/be~nav.html|publisher= [[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]]|date=7 July 2006|access-date=3 November 2009}}</ref>

There is also an official Belgian [[naval jack]], which is the same as the national flag, [[:File:Naval Jack of Belgium.svg|except in a 1:1 ratio]], making it square.<ref name=FOTWnavy/><gallery>
File:Naval Jack of Belgium.svg|Naval Jack of Belgium
File:Belgian Navy commissioning pennant.svg|Belgian Naval pennant
File:Special civil ensign.gif|Special civil ensign
File:Belgian Yacht ensign.gif|Belgian Yacht ensign
File:Naval auxiliary ensign.gif|The Belgian [[Naval ensign|Naval Auxiliary Ensign]]
File:Belgian European civil ensign.gif|Belgian European civil ensign
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===Royal standard and flags on the royal palaces===
The [[List of Belgian flags#Royal Standards|royal standard of Belgium]] is the personal standard of the current king, [[Philippe of Belgium|Philippe]], and features his [[monogram]], an 'F' (for the [[Dutch language|Dutch]] 'Filip'), crossed with a 'P' in the four corners. The designs of royal standards of past monarchs have been similar.<ref name=CRWroyal>{{Cite web|title=Belgium: Royal standard|url=http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/be_roy.html|publisher= [[Flags of the World (website)|Flags of the World]]|access-date=3 July 2013}}</ref>

Notably, the flag of Belgium flown on the [[Royal Palace of Brussels]] and the [[Royal Castle of Laeken]] is in none of the proportions above. It has the irregular 4:3 ratio, making it taller than it is wide.<ref name=CRWroyal/> The stripes remain vertical. These proportions are explained as an aesthetic consideration, as the palaces are large, and the flags are thus viewed from far below, which makes them look more normal due to [[foreshortening]].<ref name=CRWroyal/>

The flags are flown above the palaces when the monarch is in Belgium, not necessarily just in one of the palaces. The flags are not flown if the monarch is on a state visit overseas or on holiday outside of Belgium.<ref name=CRWroyal/> There have been exceptions to this rule, but, in general, presence or absence of the flag is a reasonably reliable indicator of whether or not the monarch is in the country.<gallery>
File:Flag of Belgium at the Royal palaces.svg|Flag of Belgium at the [[Royal Palace of Brussels|Royal palace(s)]]
File:Flag of Belgium (with crown).svg|Flag of Belgium (with crown)
File:Royal Standard of King Philippe of Belgium.svg|Royal Standard of [[Philippe of Belgium|King Philippe of Belgium]]
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=== Military flags of Belgium ===
The flags of the Belgian [[Belgian Land Component|Land]], [[Belgian Air Component|Air]], and [[Belgian Navy|Naval]] Components represent their different branches in the [[Belgian Armed Forces|Belgian military]]. 

The flag of the [[Belgian Land Component]] was adopted on september 1st 1982 The flag is white with the Army shield topped by a Royal crown. The Army shield is red with a black embattled wall. The shield is charged with a raised sword hold by two hands, the sinister one being bare and the dexter one covered with a gauntlet. The dexter hand is placed over the sinister one. The sword and the hands are all yellow.The Royal crown is yellow with a red cap, decorated with white pearls and gems. The number, shape and colour of the pearls and gems vary from flag to flag

The flag of the [[Belgian Air Component|Belgian Air Force]] was adopted on 4 February 1948. The flag of the [[Belgian Air Component]] is the badge of the air force and [[roundel]] of the Air force on a blue field.

The flag of the [[Belgian Navy]] was adopted on 2nd of march 1950. The ensign reminds the White Ensign of the Royal Navy, from which the Belgian Navy was re-established.The [[St. Andrew's cross (philately)|St. Andrew's cross]] was derived from the [[Cross of Burgundy]], which decorated the ensigns of the Belgian ships during the Burgondian rule. The colours of the cross are the national colours.The crossed cannons highlight the military status of the ensign. The crown is the emblem of the kingdom, The anchors symbolize the ship's crews.<gallery>
File:Flag of the Belgian Land Component.svg|Flag of the [[Belgian Land Component]]
File:Air Force Ensign of Belgium.svg|Air Force Ensign of Belgium
File:Naval Ensign of Belgium.svg|Naval Ensign of Belgium
</gallery>

=== Historical flags ===
Belgium has had several flags throughout [[History of Belgium|its history]], reflecting different periods of smaller and bigger kingdoms such as the [[Duchy of Brabant]] (1183 – 1795) and the [[County of Flanders]] (863 – 1794) ... Or full rule over all Belgians like the [[Austrian Netherlands]] (1556 – 1715), [[Spanish Netherlands]] (1715 – 1795) and much more up until the independence of [[Belgium]] in 1831 after the [[Belgian Revolution|Belgian revolution]].<gallery>
File:Oriflamme of Charlemagne.png|Imperial Orilflamme of [[Charlemagne]] (800 – 888)
File:Generieke vlag van Vlaanderen.svg|Flag of [[County of Flanders|the County of Flanders]] (863 – 1794)
File:LuikVlag.svg|Flag of [[Prince-Bishopric of Liège|the Prince-Bishopric of Liège]] (980 – 1795)
File:Generieke vlag van Henegouwen.svg|Flag of [[County of Hainaut|the County of Hainaut]] (1071 – 1795)
File:Hertogdom Brabant vlag.png|Flag of [[Duchy of Brabant|the Duchy of Brabant]] (1183 – 1795)
File:Flag of Cross of Burgundy.svg|Flag of [[Spanish Netherlands|the Spanish Netherlands]] (1556 – 1715)
File:Austrian Low Countries Flag.svg|Flag of [[:nl:Oostenrijkse_Nederlanden|Oostenrijkse Nederlanden]] (1715 – 1795)
File:Flag of the Brabantine Revolution.svg|Flag of [[United Belgian States|the United Belgian states]] (1789 – 1790)
File:Flag of Belgium (1830).svg|First Belgian flag (1830 – 1831)
File:Flag of Belgium.svg|Belgian flag (1831 – present) 
</gallery>

=== Revolutionary flags ===
These flags were used during Belgian (or Brabantian) revolution, when the Belgian people fought for their independence:<gallery>
File:Flag of the Brabantine Revolution (with lion).png|Flag during the [[Brabant Revolution|Brabant revolution]], with lion (1789 – 1790)
File:Flag of the Liege Volunteers 1830.png|Flag during of volunteers of Liege (1830 – 1831)
</gallery>