The NATO logo of the political and military alliance consists of two main parts: a compass on a blue square field and a black-and-white name box with NATO / OTAN. The compass is placed in the center of four squares in two shades of blue, divided by vertical and horizontal white lines. Inside is a white four-point compass rose with a thin circular outline around it. The name box is set on a black background and divided into two parts by a white horizontal line: NATO is placed at the top, and OTAN at the bottom. A small vertical white line in the center creates a cross with the horizontal line between the abbreviations. The logo can be used in vertical and horizontal layouts, as well as in color, grayscale and single-color line-art versions. NATO stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization, while OTAN is the French abbreviation for Organisation du Traité de l’Atlantique Nord.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an intergovernmental political and military alliance of countries in Europe and North America, created in 1949 after the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty. The organization’s headquarters are located in Brussels, Belgium. NATO brings together 32 member states and serves as a platform for political consultation, collective defense, military cooperation, deterrence and security coordination. The alliance’s main principle is set out in Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty: an armed attack against one ally is considered an attack against all. NATO also develops partnerships, supports defense planning, conducts exercises and adapts its structure to new threats in international security.
