Flag of Switzerland Flag of Switzerland The flag of Switzerland displays a white cross in the centre of a square red field. The white cross is known as the Swiss cross (, , , ). Its arms are equilateral, and their ratio of length to width is 7:6. The size of the cross in relation to the field was set in 2017 as 5:8. The white cross has been used as the field sign (attached to the clothing of combattants and to the cantonal war flags in the form of strips of linen) of the Old Swiss Confederacy since its formation in the
Flag of Switzerland by three feet. The Swiss constitution of 1848 did not name a national flag, but it prescribes the federal flag for all federal troops. The last "flammé" flags still used by "Landwehr" units were replaced by the modern design in 1865. In November 1889, the Federal Council published a "communication regarding the federal coat of arms", detailing the history of the use of the Swiss cross since the 15th century. Seals produced from 1815 onward, and cantonal coins minted from 1826 showed the arms of the cross in the 7:6 length to width ratio. Later in the 19th century, there