"Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia as well as the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The oldest flag of the Nordic countries is the flag of Denmark with a description dating from 1748. The design has a cross symbol in a rectangular field, with the center of the cross shifted towards the hoist. This basic design is called Nordic cross and has been adopted by the other Nordic countries Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden as well as the dependent territories of Faroe Islands and Åland. Similar flags are also used as regional flags, most prominently the semi-official flag of Scania. The design has"
"Flag of Hungary The flag of Hungary (, more commonly ) is a horizontal tricolour of red, white and green. In this exact form, it has been the official flag of Hungary since May 23, 1957. The flag's form originates from national republican movements of the 18th and 19th centuries, while its colours are from the Middle Ages. The current Hungarian tricolour flag is the same as the republican movement flag of the United Kingdom (used since 1816) and the colours in that form were already used at least since the coronation of Leopold II in 1790, predating the first"
"rampant, queue fourchée Argent, crowned, langued and armed Or"", that is a silver double-tailed lion in a red field. The white-and-red Kingdom of Bohemia flag came into use in 12th century (flag of Poland dates to 13th century). After the end of the First World War in 1918, Kingdom of Bohemia flag was shortly used as a flag of the newly formed Czecho-Slovak Republic. In 1920, a blue triangle was added to reflect Slovakia presence. The flag was used by Czechoslovakia until its dissolution in 1992 and currently is used as the flag of the Czech Republic. However, the traditional"
"flag on 18 January 1957. The plain tricolour is the state's civil flag. Government authorities use the state flag (""Landesdienstflagge""), where the flag is defaced by the state coat of arms. The tricolour was previously used for the Prussian province of Schleswig-Holstein (1868-1946). It is almost identical to the flags of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro (FR Yugoslavia), as well as the flag of the Netherlands inverted. Flag of Schleswig-Holstein The flag of Schleswig-Holstein is a horizontal tricolour of blue, white, and red. Schleswig-Holstein is one of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy"
"So it may suggest the ""Four Red Bars on Golden Background"" emblem was believed to belong to the House of Barcelona and the Counts of Barcelona in times of the initial dynasty (1164–1410) who ruled the Crown of Aragon. Furthermore, the Pennon of the Conquest of Valencia is documented as the world's oldest extant flag, dating from 1238, even though the yellow part was originally white, but the red stripes design was the same. The Government of Catalonia states about its official symbols that it may derive from 11th century or 12th century pre-heraldic symbols and the County of Barcelona's"
"Flag of Austria The flag of Austria () has three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red. The Austrian triband is based on the coat of arms of the Babenberg dynasty, recorded in the 13th century. It may have seen use in flags from about the 15th century, alongside the black-and-yellow colours of the House of Habsburg and other insignia of the Holy Roman Empire. It was adopted as a naval ensign in the 18th century, and as national flag in 1918. The flag traces back to the coat of arms of the medieval Babenberg dynasty, a silver"
"History of the flags of Romania The colors of the national flag of Romania () have a long history, though the association of the three colors only dates to the 18th century. Red, yellow and blue were found on late 16th-century royal grants of Michael the Brave, as well as shields and banners. Thus, the late 13th century Wijbergen armorial shows the coat of arms of the Wallachian ruler Litovoi as consisting of a shield of ten vertically alternating gold-and-red bands, which were the colors of the coat of arms of the Second Bulgarian Empire, of which Wallachia was part."
"Flag of Galicia The flag of Galicia appeared for first time in the 19th century, probably based on the colours of the ancient medieval flags of the Kingdom of Galicia. Originally, the flag was probably a blue St Andrew's Cross over a white field – St Andrew is one of the most popular saints in Galicia. The Coat of Arms of Galicia was actually the former flag of the Kingdom of Galicia. Colors blue, white and gold were always related with Galicia. The chalice and the golden crosses on blue background have been its symbol since medieval times (13C). For"
"the Austrian coat of arms flanked by the Austrian flag and the European Union flag. Flag of Austria The flag of Austria () has three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red. The Austrian triband is based on the coat of arms of the Babenberg dynasty, recorded in the 13th century. It may have seen use in flags from about the 15th century, alongside the black-and-yellow colours of the House of Habsburg and other insignia of the Holy Roman Empire. It was adopted as a naval ensign in the 18th century, and as national flag in 1918. The"
"(red-blue-yellow), the Cisalpine Republic 1797 (Transpadane Republic, green-white-red), the Cisrhenian Republic 1797 (green-white-red), the Anconine Republic 1797 (blue-yellow-red), the Roman Republic 1798 (black-white-red), the Helvetic Republic 1798 (green-yellow-red; canton of Neuchatel 1848), the Parthenopean Republic 1799 (blue-yellow-red), the Principality of Lucca and Piombino 1805 (blue-white-red). Thus providing the format for most of modern Europe's national flags, from the flag of Italy, to the flag of Germany, flag of Ireland, flag of Belgium, flag of Romania, flag of Bulgaria, flag of Moldova, and others around the World such as the flag of Cameroon, flag of Chad, flag of Ivory Coast, flag"
"The Netherlands introduced two national flags in 1813 (either an orange-white-blue or a red-white-blue tricolour; the final decision in favour of red was made in 1937). The Ottoman flag (now the flag of Turkey) was adopted in 1844. Other non-European powers followed the trend in the late 19th century, the flag of Japan being introduced in 1870, that of Qing China in 1890. Also in the 19th century, most countries of South America introduced a flag as they became independent (Peru in 1820, Bolivia in 1851, Colombia in 1860, Brazil in 1822, etc.) The national flag is often, but not"
"one legend, is that a Latvian leader was wounded in battle, and the edges of the white sheet in which he was wrapped were stained by his blood. The white stripe may stand for the sheet that wrapped him. This story is similar to the legend of the origins of the flag of Austria. The red-white-red Latvian flag () is first mentioned in the medieval ""Rhymed Chronicle of Livonia"" (""Livländische Reimchronik""), which covers the period from 1180 to 1343, and is thus among the oldest flags in the world. The chronicle tells of a battle that took place around 1279,"
"Arms when displayed on public buildings and institutional events in Galicia"""", Law 5/1984 of Symbols of Galicia, Article 2.2. Flag of Galicia The flag of Galicia appeared for first time in the 19th century, probably based on the colours of the ancient medieval flags of the Kingdom of Galicia. Originally, the flag was probably a blue St Andrew's Cross over a white field – St Andrew is one of the most popular saints in Galicia. The Coat of Arms of Galicia was actually the former flag of the Kingdom of Galicia. Colors blue, white and gold were always related with"
"the ""official flag"" of the republic, a ""de facto"" civil flag, which omits the coat of arms, can sometimes be seen flying. Some official sources of San Marino suggest that the civil flag is actually the bicolor with the coat of arms of the specific city it is used in, instead of the national one. The national ensign of San Marino is identical to the state flag. The oldest attested flag of the republic dates back from 4 September 1465, when it was commissioned from a manufacturer in Florence. It showed a horizontal tricolor of orange, white and purple, with"
"Heritage Site by UNESCO. Because of their intertwining history, much of the traditional symbols of Catalonia coincide with Aragon, Valencia and the Balearic Islands. The oldest Catalan symbol is the shield of Catalonia, or ""bars of Aragon"", one of Europe's oldest heraldic emblems. A popular legend dates it back to the ninth century: it is said that the four red lines are the result of Charles the Bald's four fingers which smeared blood on the gold shield of Wilfred the Hairy (Guifré el Pelós) as a reward for having fought valiantly against the Normans. The royal flag, inspired by the"
"Flag of the Netherlands The flag of the Netherlands () is a horizontal tricolor of red, white, and blue. The tricolor flag is almost identical to that of Luxembourg, except that it is shorter and its red and blue stripes are a darker shade. It originates as a variant of the older orange-white-blue ""Prinsenvlag"" (""Prince's Flag""), introduced in the 17th century as the ""Statenvlag"" (""States Flag""), the naval flag of the States-General of the Dutch Republic. Its official status as the national flag of the Kingdom of the Netherlands was formalized in 1937. The national flag of the Netherlands is"
"of Europe, because Brussels is considered the unofficial capital of the EU. Flag of Europe The European Flag or Flag of Europe is an official symbol of two separate organisations—the Council of Europe (CoE) and the European Union (EU). Flag is also used as symbol of Europe continent as whole. It consists of a circle of twelve five-pointed yellow (""or"") stars on a blue (""azure"") field. The flag was designed in 1955, and officially launched later that year by the Council of Europe as a symbol for the whole of Europe. The Council of Europe urged it to be adopted"
"nineteenth century. Initially these were the colors of the Russian flag; as the Slavic movement grew, they were adopted by other Slavic peoples including Slovaks, Slovenes, and Serbs. The flags of the Czech Republic and Poland use red for historic heraldic reasons (see Coat of arms of Poland and Coat of arms of the Czech Republic) & not due to Pan-Slavic connotations. In 2004 Georgia adopted a new white flag, which consists of four small and one big red cross in the middle touching all four sides. Red, white, and black were the colors of the German Empire from 1870"
"of the kingdom of Aragon; and in the fourth is the emblem of the so-called ""bars of Aragon"" or Royal Sign of Aragon, the oldest of the heraldic emblems that are part of the current coat of arms, dated in the second half of the 12th century. This emblem of gules and gold was used in seals, banners, shields and standards indistinctly, not being but a familiar emblem that later denoted the authority as King of Aragon until, with the birth of Modern State, began to be a territorial symbol. The current flag was approved in 1984, with the provisions"
"prevalently expressing the sentiment of nationalism or ethnic identity than anti-monarchism, the flag of Hungary (1848), the flag of Romania (1848), the Flag of Ireland (1848), the flag of Estonia (1880s), the flag of Lithuania (1905), and the flag of Armenia (1918). By contrast, the flag of Russia was adopted by the Tsardom of Russia in the late 17th century and while it may or may not have been inspired by the Dutch tricolour, it never had any republican implications. The political ideology of the unification of an ethnic nation state associated with tricolour flags since the 19th century has"
"flags was the ""labarum"". In the surviving pictorial sources of the middle and later Empire, primarily the illustrated Skylitzes Chronicle, the predominating colours are red and blue in horizontal stripes, with a cross often placed in the centre of the flag. Other common symbols, prominently featuring on seals, were depictions of Christ, the Virgin Mary and saints, but these represent personal rather than family or state symbols. Western European-style heraldry was largely unknown until the last centuries of the Empire. There is no mention of any ""state"" flag until the mid-14th century, when a Spanish atlas, the ""Conosçimiento de todos"
"Flag of Wallonia The flag of Wallonia is a sub-national flag in Belgium that represents the Walloon Region and French Community. Designed in 1913, the flag depicts a red rooster, commonly known as the ""bold rooster"" () or ""Walloon rooster"" (), on a yellow field. The red and yellow coloring is historically associated with the city of Liège. The flag's association with Wallonia also mean that it is commonly used by the Walloon Movement. The flag was created in 1913, based on a painting by Pierre Paulus On 3 July 1991, the French Community adopted by decree the Walloon Flag"
"of Malta (whence the modern Flag of Malta and of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta), and others (flags of Denmark and Switzerland, with inverted colors to those of England and Genoa, among others). It was possibly first used by Amadeus III, Count of Savoy, who went on the Second Crusade in 1147. In the 18th century, the letters ""FERT"" were sometimes added in the cantons to distinguish the flag from the Maltese one. Duchy of Savoy From 1416 to 1860, the Duchy of Savoy (, ) was a state in Western Europe. It was created when Sigismund, King of"
"Flag of Europe The European Flag or Flag of Europe is an official symbol of two separate organisations—the Council of Europe (CoE) and the European Union (EU). Flag is also used as symbol of Europe continent as whole. It consists of a circle of twelve five-pointed yellow (""or"") stars on a blue (""azure"") field. The flag was designed in 1955, and officially launched later that year by the Council of Europe as a symbol for the whole of Europe. The Council of Europe urged it to be adopted by other European organisations, and in 1985 the European Communities (EC) adopted"
"city of Maastricht used a similar design between 1938 and 1994 but reinstitated its old flag to avoid confusion. There are currently two independent states – Indonesia and Monaco – whose national flags are horizontal bicolors of red and white, reversing the Polish flag. The Monaco and Indonesia flags differ in proportions and shades of the colors (see Flag of Indonesia and Flag of Monaco). Flag of Poland The flag of Poland consists of two horizontal stripes of equal width, the upper one white and the lower one red. The two colors are defined in the Polish constitution as the"
"Flag of Maastricht The flag of Maastricht (Dutch: ""Vlag van Maastricht"", Limburgish (Maastrichtian variant): ""Veendel vaan Mestreech"" or ""Drappo vaan Mestreech"") is the official flag of Maastricht, the capital city of the province of Limburg, Netherlands. It constitutes a red vertical surface with a five-pointed star on its left side (a star that is common among many flags e.g., the flag of Chile). It had been a historical flag, with its first image of appearance dating from 1545, of the municipality but was replaced in 1938 with a flag similar in design to the Polish flag. To avoid confusion, the"
"not recommended outside Finnish waters to avoid confusion. Officially, however, the yachting club ensign is valid even for international use. Flag of Finland The flag of Finland (, ), also called ""siniristilippu"" (""Blue Cross Flag""), dates from the beginning of the 20th century. On a white background, it features a blue Nordic cross, which represents Christianity. The state flag has a coat of arms in the centre, but is otherwise identical to the civil flag. The swallow-tailed state flag is used by the military. The presidential standard is identical to the swallow-tailed state flag but also has in its upper"
"Bedford Flag The Bedford Flag is the oldest known flag in the United States. It is associated with the Minutemen of Bedford, Massachusetts and the Battles of Lexington and Concord of 1775. The flag is made of crimson silk damask measuring approximately . The painted-on design depicts an armored arm grasping a straight sword. The two sides are asymmetrical; the sword appears behind the motto on one side and appears in front of it on the other. The Latin motto (""Conquer Or Die"") reads from top to bottom on one side and from bottom to top on the other. The"
"Flag of Ukraine The flag of Ukraine is a banner of two equally sized horizontal bands of blue and yellow (Constitution of Ukraine, ). Combination of blue and yellow as a symbol of Ukrainian lands comes from the flag of the Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia used in 12th century. As a national flag, the blue and yellow bicolour has been officially used since the 1848 Spring of Nations when it was hoisted over the Lviv Rathaus. It was officially adopted as a state flag for the first time in 1918 by the short-lived West Ukrainian People's Republic, and subsequently used by"
"Statenvlag The Statenvlag (""States Flag"") is the name of the flag of the States-General of the Dutch Republic, the red-white-blue tricolour flag replacing the older orange-white-blue Prince's Flag in the mid 17th century. The modern national flag of the Netherlands, officially introduced in 1937, is based on this historical flag. The origin of the red-white-blue tricolour is not entirely clear; some sources suggest that it developed merely as a variant of red-white-blue because the orange dye would tend to fade to red over time. However, there have also been suggestions to the effect that the red-white-blue flag might predate the"
"castle which is still called Tallinn, ""Danish-castle/town"" in the Estonian language. The red banner with a white cross (""Dannebrog"") has been the national flag of the Danes since 1219. Dannebrog is Europe's oldest flag design still in modern use. In 1223, King Valdemar and his eldest son, prince Valdemar, were abducted by Count Henry I of Schwerin (""Heinrich der Schwarze""), while hunting on the island of Lyø near Funen. Count Henry demanded that Denmark surrender the land conquered in Holstein 20 years ago and become a vassal of the Holy Roman Emperor. Danish envoys refused these terms and Denmark declared"
"official adoption of a historical flag as the state (government) flag. The amendment came into force on 1 September 2004, after it was approved by President Valdas Adamkus. The yellow in the flag is meant to symbolize the sun and prosperity, the green is for the forests, the countryside, liberty, and hope, and the red represents the blood and bravery of those who have died for Lithuania. The proper colors of both the national and state flag are made according to the Pantone Matching System, specifically Pantone textile-paper (TP). The ratio of both the national and state flag must be"
"is 1:5. The proportion between the length and width of the Banner is 3:2. Flag of Latvia The national flag of Latvia () was used by independent Latvia from 1918 until the country was occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940. Its use was suppressed during Soviet rule. Shortly before regaining its independence, Latvia re-adopted on 27 February 1990 the same red-white-red flag. Though officially adopted in 1923, the Latvian flag was in use as early as the 13th century. The red colour is sometimes described as symbolizing the readiness of the Latvians to give the blood from their hearts"