Why Don’t Flags Have Purple Color?

We say that each color has its own meaning. It is true; Red tells us joy, black tells us sadness. Countries also choose the colors on their flags that represent them because they have a certain meaning. There are currently 195 countries in the world. And none of these countries have purple in their flags. Okay but why? Here is the answer..

It is estimated that the color purple was first used by the Phoenicians.  There are a total of 195 countries in the world and none of these countries use purple in their flags. So why? Actually, the answer is simple. Purple has been the most expensive color throughout history and remained a luxury color that only the elite at the head of kingdoms and empires could afford.

Production of the purple color pigment 18. century, it was quite difficult. It is estimated that the color purple was first used by the Phoenicians, who lived on the Mediterranean coastline of present-day Syria and Lebanon. Derived from a sea snail native only to this region, the purple color was more difficult to produce than any other color for centuries. In particular, tens of thousands of snails were needed to obtain one gram of purple dye from the snails found in the ancient city of Sur, which is within the borders of Lebanon today.

The fact that purple costs more gold than it weighs has also made this color the color of royalty and empire throughout history. The color, also known as Phoenician or Tyrian purple, was durable, not easily removed from the fabric, and increased in brightness when exposed to sunlight, making this color desirable by wealthy circles.

In addition to the Roman, Byzantine and Persian empires, purple had become the symbol of the royal family in England. Elizabeth I, Queen of England from 1533 to 1603, forbade anyone other than herself and her royal family to wear purple clothing. During the Elizabethan era, half a kilo of purple dye was worth 1.5 kilos of gold. This equates to about $56,000 when calculated at today’s gold prices. This pale value of purple has led to no country or kingdom using purple in their flags.