Flags of Europe

A map of Europe with national flags

This is a list of international, national and subnational flags used in Europe.

Supranational and international flags[edit]

An incomplete list of flags representing intra-European international and supranational organisations, which omits intercontinental organisations such as the United Nations:

Date	Use	Description
1957–1958	Flag of the Benelux	Combines features from the flags of the member countries: Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg
?–2015	Flag of the Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine
2015–
1990s–	Flag of the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA)
1991–	Flag of the Commonwealth of Independent States	The flag of the Commonwealth of Independent States is blue with the emblem of the organisation in the centre.
1955–	Flag of the Council of Europe	A circle of 12 upward-oriented 5-pointed golden stars centred on a blue field: represents the continent beyond the organisations as the Flag of Europe
1986^{[note 1]}–	Flag of the European Union^{[note 2]}
1973–1983	Flag of the European Parliament
1984–	Flag of the Nordic Council	White stylised swan in a white circle upon a blue background.
1953–	Flag of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization	A dark blue field charged with a white compass rose emblem from which radiate four white lines.
2006–	Flag of the European Gendarmerie Force
2006–	Flag of the European Maritime Force

Flags of European sovereign states[edit]

Date	Use	Description
1912–	Flag of Albania See also: List of Albanian flags	The flag of Albania, adopted in April 1912, is a red flag with a black double-headed eagle in the centre. It is derived from the seal of Gjergj Kastriot Skanderbeg, a 15th-century Albanian who led a revolt against the Ottoman Empire that resulted in brief independence for Albania from 1443 to 1478.
1866–	Flag of Andorra See also: List of Andorran flags	The flag of Andorra, adopted in 1866, is a tricolour of blue, yellow, and red with the coat of arms of Andorra in the centre. It is based on the flags of France and Spain. The coat of arms of Andorra is based on the flag of Catalonia (4 red ribbons on yellow background).
1918–1920 1991–	Flag of Armenia See also: List of Armenian flags ^{[note 3]}	After gaining independence, the First Republic of Armenia adopted the modern Armenian tricolor. The independent Armenian government selected the colours used during the last period of the Rubenid Dynasty: red, blue and orange. The red emblematizes the Armenian Highland, the Armenian people's continued struggle for survival, maintenance of the Christian faith, Armenia's independence and freedom. The blue emblematizes the will of the people of Armenia to live beneath peaceful skies. The orange emblematizes the creative talent and hard-working nature of the people of Armenia.
1918–1938 1945–	Flag of Austria See also: List of Austrian flags	Originally adopted in 1918, it was again officially adopted in 1945, after being banned during World War II. Stripes of red and white have been a collective emblem of Austria for over 800 years, and they were first used on the flag in 1191. According to long-established legend, the red and white flag was designed to resemble the bloodstained white coat worn by the Duke of Austria during a fierce battle.
1918–1920 1991–	Flag of Azerbaijan See also: List of Azerbaijani flags ^{[note 3]}	Originally adopted in 1918 as a flag of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan, it was officially adopted again in 1991, after Azerbaijan gained its independence. The flag of Azerbaijan is the national ensign of Azerbaijan. It consists of three equal horizontal bands colored blue, red, and green, with a white crescent and an eight-pointed star centered in the red band. The blue band refers to Turkic heritage, the red is for progress and Europeanisation and the green refers to Islam.
1995–	Flag of Belarus See also: List of Belarusian flags	Belarus's flag was officially adopted on 10 February 2012. The dominant red-green bicolour was used on its flag when it was a republic within the former Soviet Union. The woven fabric ornament on the left uses traditional Belarusian red and white colours.
1830–	Flag of Belgium See also: List of Belgian flags	Black, gold and red are symbolic of the country's coat of arms. The three-striped vertical layout was inspired by the French Tricolour. Black and gold were chosen, being the colours of the Duchy of Brabant where the Belgian Revolution started. Red was added as a symbol of the blood spilled during the uprising.
1998–	Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina See also: List of flags of Bosnia and Herzegovina	The flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina consists of a wide medium blue vertical band on the fly side with a yellow isosceles triangle abutting the band and the top of the flag. The remainder of the flag is medium blue with seven five-pointed white stars and two half stars top and bottom along the hypotenuse of the triangle. The three points of the triangle stand for the three nations of Bosnia: Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs. It is said to represent the map of Bosnia.
1878–1947 1991–	Flag of Bulgaria See also: List of Bulgarian flags	The flag of Bulgaria was adopted in 1989 and consists of three horizontal bands of white, green and red.
1990–	Flag of Croatia See also: List of Croatian flags	The flag of Croatia, adopted in December 1990, consists of three equal horizontal stripes of red, white and blue and the coat of arms of Croatia in the center.
1960–	Flag of Cyprus See also: List of Cypriot flags ^{[note 4]}	The flag was officially adopted on 16 August 1960. The island is depicted in a copper shade representative of its name: the name Cyprus has roots in the Sumerian word for copper (zubar), from the large deposits of copper found on the island. The crossed green olive branches symbolise the hope for peace between the Turks and the Greeks. It was designed by İsmet Güney, a Turkish Cypriot painter.
1993–	Flag of the Czech Republic See also: List of Czech flags	The first flag of Czechoslovakia was white over red, and those colours are the heraldic colours of Bohemia. The blue triangle was added to the flag to distinguish it from the flag of Poland, and blue is said to represent the State of Moravia.
1219–	Flag of Denmark See also: List of Danish flags	It is the world's oldest state flag still in use. Legend has it that it appeared as a sign from heaven to King Valdemar II in 1219. Known as the Dannebrog ("Danish Cloth"), this blood-red flag with an off-centred white cross (a "Nordic Cross") became a model for other regional flags.
1918–1940 1990–	Flag of Estonia See also: List of Estonian flags	It was officially re-adopted on 8 May 1990. The story of the flag begins on 17 September 1881, when the constituent Assembly of the first Estonian national student Corps "Vironia" (modern Estonian Students Society) in the city of Tartu was also identified in color; it later became national. The first flag was made in 1884 and this tricolour was accepted in 1918 as the national flag of Estonia. The original flag is still in existence. The first flag of Estonia is kept in Tartu Estonian National Museum. Blue represents loyalty, and the country's beautiful blue skies, seas and lakes; black is symbolic of past oppression and the fertile soil; and white represents virtue, winter snows, and Estonia's long struggle for freedom and independence.
1918–	Flag of Finland See also: List of Finnish flags	It was officially adopted on 29 May 1918. The off-centred blue cross is based on the Nordic Cross, widely used on Nordic national flags. The blue colour is symbolic of blue skies, and the thousands of lakes in Finland. The white represents the winter snows.
1794–1814 1830–	Flag of France See also: List of French flags	It was officially adopted on 15 February 1794. The tricolore consists of three vertical bands of equal width, displaying the country's national colours: blue, white, and red. The blue band is positioned nearest the flagstaff, the white in the middle, and the red on the outside. Red, white and blue have come to represent liberty, equality and fraternity—the ideals of the French Revolution. Blue and red are also the time-honoured colours of Paris, while white is the colour of the Royal House of Bourbon.
2004–	Flag of Georgia See also: List of Georgian flags ^{[note 3]}	This recently adopted flag is a simple white rectangle, with a central red cross connecting all four sides of the flag; in each of the four corners is a small red cross. The flag is based on a historic five-cross design that dates back to the 14th century.
1919–1933 1949–	Flag of Germany See also: List of German flags	It was officially re-adopted on 23 May 1949, and subsequently used by West Germany while the country was divided into East and West before reunification in 1990. The tricolour flag was designed in 1832, and the black, red, and gold colours were taken from the uniforms of German soldiers during the Napoleonic Wars (Out of the blackness* (black) of servitude through bloody (red) battles to the golden (gold) light of freedom.*^[1]) or taken from the coat of arms of Holy Roman Empire.
1978– (Civil flag since 1822)	Flag of Greece See also: List of Greek flags	The current flag of Greece was adopted as a civil flag and ensign in 1822, and as the national flag in 1978. It features a white cross and a combination of nine (five blue and four white) horizontal stripes. The shade of blue has varied over the years, and darker blue (shown) is now commonly used. The alternating white and blue stripes are said to represent the nine syllables of the phrase "Eleftheria i thanatos" ("Freedom or Death"), a popular motto during the Greek War of Independence. During the Kingdom of Greece, a crown was added in the centre of the cross. Greece's national flag between 1822 and 1970 featured a simple white cross on a blue background. It is not known why this version was adopted, and not a blue cross on a white background as was popular in the War of Independence. During the dictatorship, a navy blue version of the current flag with proportions of 7:12 was used.
1957–	Flag of Hungary See also: List of Hungarian flags	The flag of Hungary was officially adopted in 1848. The dominant red, white and green colors of the tricolour design are derived from the historical Hungarian coat of arms. Red is said to symbolise strength, white faithfulness, and green hope.
1915–	Flag of Iceland See also: List of Icelandic flags	The flag of Iceland was adopted in June 1915 to represent Iceland. In June 1944 it became the flag of the independent republic of Iceland. Like other Scandinavian flags, it is based on the Nordic Cross. It is a reverse colour image of the Flag of Norway. The blue represents the sea, the white represents the snow and glaciers and the red symbolises volcanic lava.
1922–	Flag of Ireland See also: List of Irish flags	Although dating from the 19th century, the tricolour flag of Ireland was not popularised until its use by rebels during the 1916 Easter Rising. It was officially adopted by the revolutionary First Dáil (assembly) of the Irish Republic on 21 January 1919, and used thereafter by the Irish Free State. The current 1937 Constitution of Ireland defines it as the national flag. Modeled after the French tricolour, the colours of the Irish tricolour symbolise two communities. Green represents the Roman Catholic nationalist tradition. Orange represents the Protestant unionist community. White symbolises peace between both.
1948–	Flag of Italy See also: List of Italian flags	Derived from an original design by Napoleon, it consists of three vertical bands of equal width, displaying the national colours of Italy: green, white, and red. Green stands for hope, white for loyalty and red represents the blood spread to unify the country.
1992–	Flag of Kazakhstan See also: List of Kazakh flags ^{[note 5]}	Adopted on 4 June 1992. The flag has a gold sun with 32 rays above a soaring golden steppe eagle, both centered on a teal background; the hoist side displays a national ornamental pattern called "koshkar-muiz" (the horns of the ram) in gold.
1918–1940 1990–	Flag of Latvia See also: List of Latvian flags	The flag of Latvia was officially re-adopted on 27 February 1990. The design is adopted from a 13th-century chronicle where "red divided by white" is said to be a Latvian flag. To distinguish it from the Austrian flag, the proportions 2:1:2 and the "Latvian red" color have been adopted.
1937–	Flag of Liechtenstein See also: List of Liechtensteinian flags	The flag of Liechtenstein consists of two horizontal bands of blue and red with a gold crown in the canton. The crown was added to the flag in 1937 after the country found out at the 1936 Summer Olympics that their flag was identical to the civil flag of Haiti.
1918–1940 1989–	Flag of Lithuania See also: List of Lithuanian flags	The flag of Lithuania was officially re-adopted on 20 March 1989, before Lithuania gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1990. Yellow is symbolic of the country's wheat fields, green symbolic of the forests, and red symbolises patriotism. Collectively the colours represent hope for the future, freedom from oppression, and the courage of the Lithuanian people.
1845–	Flag of Luxembourg See also: List of flags of Luxembourg	The flag of Luxembourg was officially adopted in 1972, although it had been used since 1848 following Luxembourg's independence from the Netherlands in the late 19th century.^{[dates disagree]} The flag uses a combination of red, white, and blue that dates to the 13th century, and the Grand Duke's coat of arms.
1964–	Flag of Malta See also: List of flags of Malta	The flag of Malta was officially adopted on 21 September 1964. The flag uses the traditional red and white colours which pre-date those of the Knights of Malta and which Government emulate^{[clarification needed]} the arms of the former Universitas of Mdina. The George Cross (upper left), outlined in red, was added to the flag in the 1940s, as King George VI of the United Kingdom presented it to islanders for outstanding gallantry during World War II.
1990–	Flag of Moldova See also: List of Moldovan flags	Moldova's flag was officially adopted on 12 May 1990. Once part of Romania, Moldova's flag reflects that association, as the two countries use almost identical shades of red, yellow and blue in their national flags. The centred Moldova shield's main feature is a golden eagle holding an Orthodox Christian Cross in its beak. The olive branch is said to symbolise peace.
1881–	Flag of Monaco See also: List of flags of Monaco	The flag of Monaco has two horizontal bands of red and white—these have been the heraldic colours of the House of Grimaldi since at least 1339.
2004–	Flag of Montenegro See also: List of flags of Montenegro	The flag of Montenegro, adopted in July 2004, is a red banner bearing the coat of arms adopted in 1993. The country's coat of arms is derived from those of King Nikola.
1575 (first used) 1937 (officially adopted)–	Flag of the Netherlands See also: List of flags of the Netherlands	The flag of the Netherlands was officially adopted on 19 February 1937. At one time this tricolour flag was orange, white, and blue, as those were the livery colours of William of Orange, a Dutch prince. In the 17th century, red replaced the orange as a flag colour, because the orange dye used on the flag was unstable, and turned red after exposure to the sun. It is the oldest tricolour flag still in national use^[2] and has influenced both the French^[3] (1794) and Russian flag^[4] (1693); both of these flags have in turn influenced many other European and African flags.
1995–	Flag of North Macedonia See also: List of flags of North Macedonia	The flag of North Macedonia depicts a rising yellow sun with eight rays extending to the edges of the red field. It represents "the new sun of liberty", evoked in the Macedonian national anthem Denes nad Makedonija (Today Over Macedonia).
1821–1844 1898–	Flag of Norway See also: List of flags of Norway	The flag of Norway is red with a blue Nordic cross outlined in white; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog, the flag of Denmark. It was adopted in 1821, but a union mark was added in the canton from 1844 to 1898.
1919–	Flag of Poland See also: List of Polish flags	The flag of Poland was officially adopted on 1 August 1919.Polish flag colours date back to the Middle Ages of Piast Dynasty and a Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth period. The colours red and white have long been associated with Poland and its coat of arms, at least since 3 May 1791.
1911–	Flag of Portugal See also: List of Portuguese flags	The flag of Portugal was officially adopted on 30 June 1911. The design is a rectangular bi-colour (2:3 ratio) with a field vertically divided into two stripes of different widths—a green stripe on the hoist, and a larger red stripe on the fly. A small version of the national coat of arms (armillary sphere and Portuguese shield) is superimposed over the boundary between the colours at equal distance from the upper and lower edges. The field colours, especially the green, originally represented a radical republican-inspired change that broke the bond with the former religious monarchical flag. In the ensuing decades, these colours were popularly propagandised as representing the hope of the nation (green) and the blood (red) of those who died defending it, as a means to endow them with a more patriotic and dignified, therefore less political, sentiment.
1848 1867–1948 1989–	Flag of Romania See also: List of Romanian flags	The flag of Romania was officially re-adopted in 1989. The first red-yellow-blue flag dates from 1834 but the colours themselves are thought to have had special significance from earlier times. The current layout dates since 1848. A vertical tricolour of bands of blue, yellow, and red of equal width and overall proportions of 2:3 (height-width).
1883–1918 1993–	Flag of Russia See also: List of Russian flags ^{[note 6]}	The Russian Federation flag was officially adopted on 22 August 1991. The flag was hoisted shortly after the former Soviet Union collapsed. The white, blue and red are Pan-Slavic colours.
2011–	Flag of San Marino See also: List of Sammarinese flags	The flag of San Marino comprises equal horizontal bands of white and light blue with the national coat of arms superimposed in the centre.
1815–1918 (original design) 2004– (Civil flag since 1835)	Flag of Serbia See also: List of flags of Serbia	The flag of Serbia consists of three horizontal bands of red, blue and white, with the coat-of-arms located left of centre. By accident or design the colours are that of the Russian flag reversed. A flag with three horizontal bands of red, blue and white has been used as the national flag of Serbia and Serbs since 1815. Red, blue, and white are considered Pan-Slavic colours, but red and blue also occur on flags attributed to a 13th-century king of Serbia. The superimposed coat of arms of Serbia is a double-headed white eagle and a red shield with a white cross surrounded by 4 firesteels (ocila), a symbol that draws roots from Saint Sava Serbian Cross and from the ancient past of the Balkan peninsula, as it can be seen on 7000 years old Vinča culture pottery and many other later traditional Balkan cultural remains.
1992–	Flag of Slovakia See also: List of Slovak flags	The flag of Slovakia was officially adopted on 1 September 1992. White, blue and red are traditional Pan-Slavic colours. The superimposed Slovakian arms feature a dominant white cross atop a blue symbolic reference to the European country's mountains.
1991–	Flag of Slovenia See also: List of Slovenian flags	The flag of Slovenia was officially adopted on 24 June 1991. Red, white, and blue are taken from the Carniolan coat of arms. The flag without the coat of arms was in use from 1848 to 1945. The Slovenian coat of arms features three gold stars, symbolizing the Counts of Celje. The mountains shown in white are representative of the Alps, and Mount Triglav, Slovenia's national symbol, in particular; the wavy blue lines across the bottom indicate Slovenia's access to the sea.
(1785 original design) 1981–	Flag of Spain See also: List of Spanish flags	The flag of Spain was officially adopted on 19 July 1927 as the merchant naval flag, and on 29 December 1978 as the national flag under the current Spanish Constitution. However the first original reference dates back to 15 May 1785, when Charles III of Spain adopted one of the designs proposed by Antonio Valdés y Bazán, commissioned by the king himself, in order to easily differentiate his ships from those of other European nations, many of which used the royal coat of arms over a white background, i.e. the French Bourbon royal flag. The red and golden-yellow colours were used from that day with mere changes^{[clarification needed]} on the coat of arms (with the exception of the Spanish Second Republic) and are the original colours found within the coat of arms of the medieval kingdoms of Castile, Aragon and Navarre, first united by King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile.
(1569–1814) 1906– ^[5]	Flag of Sweden See also: List of Swedish flags	The flag of Sweden was officially adopted on 22 June 1906. The off-centre yellow cross (the Nordic Cross) is taken from the Danish flag. The yellow and blue colours are taken from the national coat of arms. It was adopted in 1569, but a union mark was added in the canton from 1844 to 1905.
1889–	Flag of Switzerland See also: List of Swiss flags	The flag of Switzerland consists of a red square with a bold, equilateral white Greek cross in the centre. It is one of only two square flags, the other being that of the Vatican City or Holy See. It is based on the flag of the Canton of Schwyz, which dates back to 1474 at least.
1844–	Flag of Turkey See also: List of Turkish flags ^{[note 7]}	The flag of Turkey is a red flag with a white crescent moon and a star in its centre. The flag is called Ay Yıldız (literally, moon star) or Albayrak (Red flag). It was adopted in 1844 with the Tanzimat reforms; though the shape, placement and shade of the colour^{[clarification needed]} vary. The geometric proportions of the flag were legally standardised with the Turkish Flag Law in 1936.
1918–1920 1992–	Flag of Ukraine See also: List of Ukrainian flags	Ukraine's flag was adopted on 4 September 1991, shortly after the collapse of the former Soviet Union. This is the country's original flag used by the short-lived Ukrainian People's Republic, but it was banned for many decades under the Soviet regime. The shade of blue is said to be symbolic of the sky, while the yellow represents Ukraine's golden wheat fields.
1801–	Flag of the United Kingdom See also: List of United Kingdom flags	The current flag of the United Kingdom dates from the Act of Union 1800, which merged the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The "Union Jack" merges the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England), edged in white, superimposed on the diagonal red cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland), which are superimposed on the saltire of Saint Andrew (patron saint of Scotland). The flag of Wales, the other country of the United Kingdom, is not graphically represented.
1929–	Flag of Vatican City or Holy See See also: List of Vatican flags	The flag of Vatican City or Holy See, adopted in June 1929, consists of two vertical bands of yellow and white with the crossed keys of Saint Peter and the Papal Tiara centred in the white band. It is one of only two square country flags in the world, the other being that of Switzerland.

Flags of other European sovereign entities[edit]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1130–	Flag of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta	The flag of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta is a red rectangular flag quartered by a white cross.

Disputed or partially recognised states[edit]

Date	Use	Description
1992–	Flag of Abkhazia^{[note 3]}	The flag of Abkhazia consists of seven green and white stripes with a red upper left canton bearing a white open right hand and seven white stars.
2008–	Flag of Kosovo See also: List of flags of Kosovo	The flag of Kosovo has a blue background, charged with a map of Kosovo in gold and six white stars. The stars symbolize Kosovo's six major ethnic groups: Albanians, Serbs, Bosniaks, Turks, Romani (often grouped with the Ashkali and Egyptians) and Gorani.
1984–	Flag of Northern Cyprus^{[note 4]}	The flag of Northern Cyprus is white with a red crescent moon and a star in its centre with a red stripe above and below.
1990–	Flag of South Ossetia^{[note 3]}	The flag of the South Ossetia is a tricolour, the top stripe white, the middle stripe red and the bottom stripe yellow.
2000–	Flag of Transnistria	The flag of Transnistria consists of three stripes (red-green-red) and the Soviet hammer and sickle; it is based on the flag of the Moldavian SSR.

Flags of European dependencies[edit]

Date	Use	State (status)	Description
1954–	Flag of Åland	Finland (autonomous region)	The flag was officially adopted 3 April 1954. As of 1992, it serves as the civil and state flag and ensign. This traditional Scandinavian Cross flag features blue, yellow, and red, all said to be borrowed from the national colours of Sweden and Finland.
1940–	Flag of the Faroe Islands	Denmark (autonomous region)	The flag of the Faroe Islands, called Merkið, was first used in 1919, was mandated by the British as the civil and state ensign in 1940, and became the official civil and state flag and ensign on 23 March 1948. The flag uses Norwegian colours, commemorating the Faroes once being part of Norway.
1502–	Flag of Gibraltar	UK (overseas territory)	The Gibraltar flag dates from 1502, as it is based on the original arms granted it by Spain. The red and white field is taken from the arms, and it is dominated by a red three-towered fortress, complete with a gold key.
1989–	Flag of Greenland	Denmark (autonomous territory)	The flag of Greenland features two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red (bottom) with a counter-changed red-and-white disk slightly to the hoist side of centre.
1985–	Flag of Guernsey	UK (Bailiwick of Guernsey)	The flag of Guernsey, adopted in 1985, consists of the red cross of St. George with an additional gold cross within it. The change was prompted by confusion over Guernsey and England using the same flag. The gold cross represents Duke William of Normandy, who had such a cross on his flag in the Battle of Hastings, given to him by Pope Alexander II.
1932–	Flag of the Isle of Man	UK (crown dependency)	The flag of the Isle of Man features a red field with a centred triskelion of three bent legs joined at a central point.
1980–	Flag of Jersey	UK (crown dependency)	The flag of Jersey, adopted in June 1979, is white with a diagonal red cross, surmounted by a yellow Plantagenet crown, the badge of Jersey (a red shield holding the three leopards of Normandy in yellow). Prior to this, the flag was a plain red saltire on a white field.
1960–	Flag of the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia	UK (overseas territory)	The Union Flag is used.

Flags of European sub-divisions[edit]

Austria[edit]

Date	Use	Description
1921–	Flag of Burgenland	A horizontal bicolor of yellow and red.
1946–	Flag of Carinthia	A horizontal tricolor of yellow, red and white.
1954–	Flag of Lower Austria	A horizontal bicolor of blue and yellow.
1921–	Flag of Salzburg	A bicolor of red over white.
1960–	Flag of Styria	A bicolor of white over green.
1945–	Flag of Tyrol	The flag of Tyrol is a white over red bicolor.
1949–	Flag of Upper Austria	The flag of Upper Austria is a white over red bicolor.
1938–	Flag of Vorarlberg	A bicolor of red over white.
1844–	Flag of Vienna	A bicolor of red over white.

Belarus[edit]

Date	Use	Description
2004–	Flag of Brest Region	Blue with a yellow zoubre (Bison bonasus) on a red stylized tower.
2005–	Flag of Gomel Region	Green with the coat of arms of Gomel Region in the centre of the obverse.
2007–	Flag of Grodno Region	Red with the coat of arms of Grodno Region in the centre of the obverse.
2007–	Flag of Minsk Region	Red with the coat of arms of Minsk Region in the centre of the obverse.
2001–	Flag of Minsk Municipality	Blue with the 1591 coat of arms of Minsk Municipality in the centre of the obverse.
2005–	Flag of Mogilev Region	Green with the coat of arms of Mogilev Region in the centre of the obverse.
2009–	Flag of Vitebsk Region	Green with the coat of arms of Vitebsk Region in the centre of the obverse.

Belgium[edit]

Date	Use	Description
2015–	Flag of the Brussels-Capital Region	A stylized yellow, white and grey iris on a blue field.
1973–	Flag of Flanders (Flemish Community and Flemish Region}	Flanders is a Dutch-speaking region in the northern half of Belgium. Or, a lion rampant armed and langued Gules.
1991–	Flag of Wallonia (French Community and Walloon Region)	Wallonia is a mostly French-speaking region comprising the southern half of Belgium. The flag depicts a red rooster, on a yellow field.
1990–	Flag of the German Community	It consists of the white background. In the centre is placed a red lion, that stands on its back legs, have raised its front paws, and put its tongue out. Around it are placed in a circle nine gentiana flowers that have five intense blue petals and white (silver) round centres.

Bosnia and Herzegovina[edit]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1995–	Flag of Republika Srpska	A horizontal tricolour of red, blue and white, very similar to the flag of Serbia without the Coat of Arms (with slightly differently coloured shades).

Denmark[edit]

Date	Use	Description
1970s-present	Unofficial flag of Bornholm	Nordic Cross Flag in red and green. Also known in a version with a white fimbriation of the green cross in a style similar to design of the Norwegian flag.
1633-present	Unofficial flag of Ærø	Tricolour in yellow, green and red Very similar to the Flag of Lithuania. A frequent interpretation is that the colours represent the kings of Denmark (red), the dukes of Schleswig (yellow) and the islands itself (green).
1976-present	Unofficial flag of Vendsyssel	Nordic Cross Flag in blue, orange and green.^[1] Designed by Mogens Bohøj.^[6]
1975-present	Unofficial flag of Jutland	A Nordic Cross Flag in blue, green and red. Designed by Per Kramer in 1975.^[3]
2015-present	Unofficial flag of Funen	There are two proposed flags: The green colour symbolises the island's importance as the 'pantry of Denmark'. The blue represents the island itself, and the red its strong ties to Denmark.^[4]

Finland[edit]

Not all regions have selected an official flag.

Date	Use	Description
	Flag of Central Finland	A banner of arms based on the region's coat of arms. Ratio: 1:1
	Flag of Central Ostrobothnia	A banner of arms based on the region's coat of arms
1998–	Flag of Kainuu	A banner of arms based on the region's coat of arms designed by a Finnish heraldist Olof Eriksson in 1978. The flag itself was adopted in 25.6.1998.
1997–	Flag of North Karelia	A red flag featuring two armored arms from the regional coat of arms with a fortressy white field on the hoist side of the flag. Adopted by the regional council on 8.6.1997.
	Flag of Northern Savonia	A black swallow-tailed flag featuring a loaded bow from the regional coat of arms placed between two yellow stripes.
	Flag of Päijänne Tavastia	A banner of arms based on the region's coat of arms.
2018–	Flag of Tavastia Proper	Flag featuring elements from the region's coat of arms. Designed by heraldist Tuomas Hyrsky and adopted by the regional council on the 100th anniversary of the Finnish flag on 28.5.2018. A further ceremony was held in the Häme Castle on 4.2.2019.
1990–	Flag of Satakunta	A swallow-tailed banner of arms based on the region's coat of arms from 1557. Designed by artist Reino Niiniranta and officially adopted on 21.11.1990. The regional flag's official flag day is on 11 October, on the name day of Otso.
2020–	Flag of Southern Savonia	A black flag charged with the bow and arrow from the region's coat of arms and a yellow hoist. Designed by designer Suvi Ripatti and officially adopted on 09.06.2020.^[7]
	Flag of Uusimaa	A banner of arms based on the region's coat of arms.

France[edit]

Not all regions have selected an official flag.

Date	Use	Description
2016–	Flag of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
2016–	Flag of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
1923–	Flag of Brittany	The flag, called Gwen ha du (White and black) was created in 1923 by Morvan Marchal (1900–1963, a member of various political and cultural organisations). He used as his inspiration the old Breton flag (a centred black cross on a white background), called Kroaz Du (Black cross), and the flags of the United States and Greece as these two countries were seen at that time as the respective symbols of liberty and democracy. The nine horizontal stripes represent the traditional dioceses of Brittany into which the duchy was divided historically. The five black stripes represent the French or Gallo speaking dioceses of Dol, Nantes, Rennes, Saint-Malo and Saint-Brieuc—while the four white stripes represent the Breton speaking dioceses of Trégor, Léon, Cornouaille and Vannes. The ermine canton recalls the ducal arms of Brittany.
	Flag of Centre-Val de Loire
1755–	Flag of Corsica	The Flag of Corsica was adopted by General of the Nation Pasquale di Paoli in 1755 and was based on a traditional flag used previously. It portrays a Moor's Head in black wearing a white bandana above his eyes on a white background. Previously, the bandana covered his eyes.
	Flag of Île-de-France
	Flag of Normandy	13th century. Nicknamed "Les p'tits cats" in Norman. Based on the medieval emblems of the duke of Normandy.
1937–	Flag of Normandy	Saint Olav flag, using a Nordic cross in reference to the Nordic past of Normandy, created by Jean Adigard des Gautries in 1937.
2016–	Flag of Nouvelle-Aquitaine
12th century –	Flag of Occitanie	Flag of the administrative region of Occitanie. Flags of historical Occitania and Catalonia can be displayed according to the place on local buildings, and both of them on regional buildings.
	Flag of Pays de la Loire	The flag is a combination of heraldic elements from the historical provinces that occupied the territory of the region: Brittany, Anjou, Maine and Vendée.
12th century –	Flag of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur	Combining elements of the former historical entities existing over the current territory of the region: County of Provence, the Dauphiné and County of Nice.

Georgia[edit]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	2004–	Flag of Adjara^{[note 3]}

Germany[edit]

Many states have separate civil and state versions of their flags; the state flags (listed) include the state arms, while the civil versions don't. See Flags of German states.

Date	Use	Description
1954–	Flag of Baden-Württemberg	A black over gold bi-color.
1953–	Flag of Bavaria	There are two official flags of Bavaria. One is an array of 21 or more lozenges of blue and white, the other is a white over blue bicolor.
1954–1990 (West Berlin) 1990–	Flag of Berlin	White with red bars at the top and bottom, with a bear off-centre towards the hoist.
1991–	Flag of Brandenburg	A horizontal bi-color of red over white, with the arms of the state (land), in the center.
1952–	Flag of Bremen	Eight or more alternating red and white stripes, checked at the hoist.
1751–	Flag of Hamburg	A white castle with three towers and a closed gate.
1948–	Flag of Hesse	The state flag of Hesse consists of a bicolor of a red top and a bottom white stripe.
1951–	Flag of Lower Saxony	The flag of Lower Saxony consists of the flag of the Federal Republic of Germany in Schwarz-Rot-Gold, with the coat of arms of Lower Saxony, shifted slightly toward the hoist.
1990–	Flag of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
1953–	Flag of North Rhine-Westphalia	A horizontal tricolour of green, white, and red.
1945–	Flag of Rhineland-Palatinate	The flag of Rhineland-Palatinate is a tricolor of three horizontal bands of black, red and gold. These colors are Germany's national colors and are sometimes referred to as schwarz-rot-gold. In the canton, or the upper left corner, are the arms of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
1957–	Flag of Saarland	The flag of Saarland is based on the flag of Germany and is a black, red, and gold (yellow) horizontal tricolor. In the center of the flag is the coat of arms of Saarland.
1991–	Flag of Saxony	A bicolour of white over green.
1991–	Flag of Saxony-Anhalt	The state flag of Saxony-Anhalt is a yellow and black bi-color. In the center of the flag is the coat of arms of Saxony-Anhalt
1948–	Flag of Schleswig-Holstein	The state flag of Schleswig-Holstein is a horizontal tricolour of blue, white, and red.
1991–	Flag of Thuringia	The state flag of Thuringia consists of a bicolor of a white top and a bottom red stripecentre.

Greece[edit]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1980s–	Flag of Macedonia (Greece)	The flag of Macedonia (Greece), adopted in 1980s, is a blue banner featuring the Vergina Sun, the emblem of the Ancient Greek Kingdom of Macedon.
	1821–	Flag of Spetses	The flag of Spetses, adopted in early 1821 during the Greek Revolution, features an azure field surrounded by a thick red border, defaced with a Cross on an overturned Crescent (symbolizing the Christian Greek victory over the Muslim Ottoman Empire), a spear (symbolizing the armed struggle for freedom), an anchor (symbolizing the maritime tradition and merchant wealth of the island as well as most of Greece), a snake around the anchor (symbolizing the Goddess Athena, wisdom and the island's ancient Greek heritage), a dove (symbolizing peace, justice and prosperity) and the words «ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΙΑ Ή ΘΑΝΑΤΟΣ», meaning "FREEDOM OR DEATH", Greece's National Motto.
	1821–	Flag of Hydra	The flag of Hydra, adopted in early 1821 during the Greek Revolution, its design and symbolism are almost identical to those of the Flag of Spetses (see above), though the colours are slightly different. The Symbols are also almost identical, though instead of a spear there is a flagpole with a flag and some of the symbols are grey instead of red.
File:Kastelorizoflag.gif	1828–	Flag of Kastellorizo	The flag of Kastellorizo, adopted in early 1828 during the Greek Revolution, it features a white field surrounded by a blue border. It is defaced with a Cross, an Anchor and a Heart. On the left and right of these symbols are the words «ΜΕΓΙΣΤΗ» and «ΚΑΣΤΕΛΛΟΡΙΖΟ» ("MEGISTE" & "KASTELLORIZO"), the two names of the island.
	1864–	Flag of Corfu	The flag of the island of Corfu, adopted in 1864 after the annexation of the United States of the Ionian Islands by the Kingdom of Greece as a gift to George I of Greece by the United Kingdom, features a blue field surrounded by a golden border and a thicker dark red one. It is defaced with an Ancient Greek Galley which is surrounded by a circle and the words «ΔΗΜΟΣ ΚΕΡΚΥΡΑΙΩΝ» meaning "MUNICIPALITY/PEOPLE OF THE CORFIOTS".
	1864–	Flag of Zakynthos	The flag of the island of Zakynthos, adopted in 1864 after the annexation of the United States of the Ionian Islands by the Kingdom of Greece as a gift to George I of Greece by the United Kingdom, features a Green field with a golden depiction of Zakynthos (person), the figure from Ancient Greek Mythology after whom the island was named. Near the top left side of Zakynthos the name of the island in Greek («ΖΑΚΥΝΘΟΣ») is written while under the depiction is the island's motto, «ΘΕΛΕΙ ΑΡΕΤΗ ΚΑΙ ΤΟΛΜΗ Η ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΙΑ» ("FREEDOM DEMANDS VALOUR AND BRAVERY") by the Zakynthian poet Andreas Kalvos.
	1821–	Flag of Psara	The flag of the island of Psara, adopted in 1821 during the Greek Revolution, is almost identical in style and design to the flags of Hydra, Spetses and other islands (see above) with some differences. The field is white and the surrounding border is red while all the symbols it is defaced with are all red. The symbols are also almost identical though instead of a dove there is an eagle, probably a reference to the Eagle of Zeus, a symbol of power and authority. The flag features the words «ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΙΑ Ή ΘΑΝΑΤΟΣ» ("FREEDOM OR DEATH", Greece's National Motto) and «ΨΑΡΑ» ("PSARA", the island's name in the Greek language).
	1821–	Flag of Mani Peninsula	The flag of the island of the Mani Peninsula, adopted in 1821 during the Greek Revolution, features a white field with a blue Greek cross and the phrases «ΝΙΚΗ Ή ΘΑΝΑΤΟΣ» ("VICTORY OR DEATH", a traditional Greek battle cry) and «ΤΑΝ Ή ΕΠΙ ΤΑΣ» (a Laconic phrase said by Spartan mothers to their sons when they left for war; lit. "IT OR ON IT" meaning that if the Spartan is to return alive he should return with his shield [so as to have not dropped it and fled the battle] or be returned on it by his comrades, dead).

Ireland[edit]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
		Flag of Connacht	The flag of Connacht is a heraldic banner of the arms of Connacht, a dimidiated (divided in half from top to bottom) eagle and armed hand.
		Flag of Leinster	The flag of the Irish province of Leinster is a banner with the provincial coat of arms: a gold Irish harp with silver strings on a green field (blazon: vert a harp or stringed argent). These arms are similar to the arms of Ireland, which have the same device on a field of blue rather than green
		Flag of Munster	The flag of Munster consists of three gold crowns on a blue field. The crowns were the arms of Ireland before being superseded by the golden harp in the 16th century. The meaning of the crowns on the flag is not certain, but one possibility is that they may represent three of the medieval Hiberno-Norman lordships in Munster; the O’Briens (Thomond), the Butlers (Ormond) and the Fitzgeralds (Desmond).
		Flag of Ulster	Ulster is one of the four traditional provinces of Ireland. Only three of the nine counties of Ulster are part of the Republic of Ireland, the other six making up Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom. However, the flag is still used to represent Ulster as a whole. The Red Hand of Ulster is a symbol that is either derived from the O'Neill dynasty, then the most prominent Irish clan in Ulster, or the Dextra Dei of early Christian iconography. The gold background featuring a red cross comes from the coat of arms of the Burkes, a Hiberno-Norman noble family.

Italy[edit]

Date	Use	Description
1999–	Flag of Abruzzo
1947–	Flag of the Aosta Valley	The flag of the Aosta Valley consists of two vertical stripes (the left black the right red), sometimes with the arms of the Aosta Valley in the centre.
2001–	Flag of Apulia
1973–	Flag of Basilicata
1992–	Flag of Calabria
1971–	Flag of Campania	The Campania Region has taken as its emblem the one given the Maritime Republic of Amalfi in its infancy. Said emblem consists of a red stripe on a white field. Regional Law n. 1 of 21 July 1971
1992–	Flag of Emilia Romagna
2001–	Flag of Friuli-Venezia Giulia
1992–	Flag of Lazio
1992–	Flag of Lombardy
1997–	Flag of Liguria
1995–	Flag of Marche
1995–	Flag of Molise
1995–	Flag of Piedmont
1999–	Flag of Sardinia
1990–	Flag of Sicily	The current flag was adopted on 28 July 1990 under regional law N. 2, Art. 12. The law was later updated in 1998. It was not until 1 January 2000, under regional law N. 1, that the flag was adopted as the official symbol of Sicily, including legislation mandating public display of the flag at all Sicilian public buildings. The flag, officially used by the ancient Kingdom of Sicily, has existed in various forms since 1282. The flag is rectangular in form and is characterised by the presence of the Trinacria (triskelion) in the centre. It features a softened image of the winged-head of Medusa and three ears of wheat (replacing snakeheads) representing the island's fertility. The three bent legs represent the island's three capes or points, while in mythology it is said to represent good luck and prosperity. The background of the flag is divided by a diagonal from left to right, and is coloured gold (lower left) and red-orange (upper right). The colours represent the cities of Palermo and Corleone, respectively, the first two to found a confederation against the Angevin rule.
1983–	Flag of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol
1995–	Flag of Tuscany
2003–	Flag of Umbria
1999–	Flag of Veneto

Malta[edit]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1964–	Flag of Gozo	Symbolises the islands nickname 'The Island of the Three Hills', and also the fact that it is surrounded by sea.

Netherlands[edit]

Date	Use	Description
1947–	Flag of Drenthe	White and red are the colours of a former leader, the Bishop of Utrecht. The black castle and red stars are a memory of Coevorden standing up against the Bisshop.
1986–	Flag of Flevoland	The flag recalls how the new province was reclaimed from the IJsselmeer. The central yellow stripe, wavy then straight, symbolises the transformation of the sea into land. Its colour symbolises rapeseed, planted to stabilise the land. The blue represents water, the green the land. The white fleur-de-lys (lily) is a pun. It commemorates Cornelis Lely, designer of the original polders, essential to the province.
1957–	Flag of Friesland	The flag is based on the kings of Frysia in 15th century. The colours are the same as those of the national flag of the Netherlands. The stripes and leaves of the yellow water-lily, represent the 7 districts of Friesland.
1953–	Flag of Gelderland	The colours are taken from the coat of arms, in which the lions from former duchesses are combined.
1950–	Flag of Groningen	The flag combines the colours of the city of Groningen with red and blue in the flag of the area around Groningen.
1953–	Flag of Limburg	The red lion comes from the coat of arms of the Duchy of Limburg. The white and yellow are taken from the local coat of arms, while the narrow blue stripe symbolises the Meuse, which flows through the province.
1959–	Flag of North Brabant	The North Brabantian flag dates from the Middle Ages and has the highest seniority among all Dutch province flags. The colours gules and argent have been used in Brabant standards, flags and pennants since the proclamation of the County of Louvain (942 CE) during the Lotharingian period. Later, the Duchy of Brabant continued using these colours. During the Middle Ages and the centuries after, the red and white would often be used. At the end of the 18th century, the flag fell into disuse. Since 1959, the red and white checkered flag has become the official flag of the province of North Brabant.
1958–	Flag of North Holland	The colours of the flag are similar to the colours of the coat of arms, which is a combination of the coat of arms from Holland and West Friesland.
1948–	Flag of Overijssel	The yellow and red stripes are a reference to the former association of this province with Holland. The blue source in the middle stands for the river IJssel, which gave the province its name.
1985–	Flag of South Holland	The flag is a banner of the coat of arms of Holland.
1952–	Flag of Utrecht	From 1528, the bishop of Utrecht used a red flag with a white cross. This flag is still seen in the upper canton.
1949–	Flag of Zeeland	In the centre of the flag, the coat of arms of Zeeland is depicted. The wavy blue lines represent the waves and the constant struggle against the sea. The lion is a symbol for the winner of this battle between man and sea.

Poland[edit]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	2000–	Flag of Greater Poland Voivodeship
	2012-12-28 –	Flag of Holy Cross Voivodeship
	2000–	Flag of Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship
	1999–	Flag of Lesser Poland Voivodeship
	2000-10-27 –	Flag of Lower Silesia Voivodeship
	2004-04-14 –	Flag of Lublin Voivodeship
	2000–	Flag of Lubusz Voivodeship
	2002-06-25 –	Flag of Łódź Voivodeship
	2006-05-29 –	Flag of Mazovia Voivodeship
	2004-12-21 –	Flag of Opole Voivodeship
	2002-08-30 –	Flag of Podlachia Voivodeship
	2002-03-25 –	Flag of Pomerania Voivodeship
	2001–	Flag of Silesia Voivodeship
	2000–	Flag of Subcarpathian Voivodeship
	2002-08-06 –	Flag of Warmia-Masuria Voivodeship
	2000–	Flag of West Pomerania Voivodeship

Portugal[edit]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1979–	Flag of the Azores	The flag of Azores has the colours of the flag of Portugal until 1910. It also has 9 stars representing the islands of the archipelago, the Portuguese shield and a Goshawk (in Portuguese Açor) that gives the name to the archipelago. It is an adaption of the first autonomy flag used during the autonomic movement in 1893, itself adapted of the then monarchist flag.
	1978–	Flag of Madeira	The design consists of a blue-gold-blue vertical triband with a red-bordered white Cross of Christ in the centre.

Russia[edit]

Date	Use	Description
1992–	Flag of Adygea
2009–	Flag of Arkhangelsk Oblast
2001–	Flag of Astrakhan Oblast
1992–	Flag of Bashkortostan
2000–	Flag of Belgorod Oblast
1992–	Flag of Bryansk Oblast
2004–	Flag of Chechnya
1992–	Flag of Chuvashia	The flag of Chuvashia consists of a stylized tree of life, a symbol of rebirth, with the three suns, a traditional emblem popular in Chuvash art.
1999–	Flag of Crimea^{[note 8]}
1994–	Flag of Dagestan
1994–	Flag of Ingushetia
1994–	Flag of Kabardino-Balkaria
1997–	Flag of Kaliningrad Oblast
1993–	Flag of Kalmykia	On the flag of Kalmykia, the yellow stands for the sun, the people and the religious faith of the nation. The blue represents the sky, eternity, and steadiness. The lotus is a symbol of purity, spiritual rebirth and happiness. Its five upper petals represent the continents and the lower four stand for the quarters of the globe. Together, they symbolize the will of the Kalmyks to live in friendship and to cooperate with all the nations of the world.
2004–	Flag of Kaluga Oblast
1996–	Flag of Karachay-Cherkessia
1993–	Flag of Karelia	The national flag of the Republic of Karelia is a rectangle with equal horizontal stripes: the upper stripe is red, the middle one is blue and the lower is green.
1997–	Flag of the Komi Republic	The flag is a horizontal tricolour composed of three bars of, from top to bottom, medium blue, green, and white. Together, they represent Komi's natural wealth. The blue represents the splendour and spaciousness of the northern sky. The green represents nature, its bounty, and the taiga. The white represents the color of snow, the purity of nature in the north, simplicity, and austerity, as well as Komi being a country in the north. According to a different interpretation, the white represents the equality and unity of the people and cultures living in Komi.
2004–	Flag of Krasnodar Krai
2011–	Flag of the Mari El Republic
1995–	Flag of Mordovia
1995–	Flag of Moscow Municipality
1995–	Flag of Moscow Oblast
2005–	Flag of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast
1991–	Flag of North Ossetia–Alania
2022–	Flag of Penza Oblast
1996–	Flag of Rostov Oblast
1991–	Flag of Saint Petersburg
2000–	Flag of Sevastopol^{[note 9]}
1991–	Flag of Tatarstan
1993–	Flag of the Udmurt Republic	The cross/star symbol represents the solar sign, a protective symbol that according to folklore protects man from misfortunes.
2017–	Flag of Vladimir Oblast
2000–	Flag of Volgograd Oblast

Serbia[edit]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	2004–	Flag of Vojvodina	Horizontal tricolour of red, blue and white with larger blue portion and three yellow stars.
	1848–1849 (original design) 2015–	Traditional flag of Vojvodina	Horizontal tricolour of red, blue and white with a coat of arms.

Spain[edit]

Date	Use	Description
1918–	Flag of Andalusia	The flag of Andalusia consists of a horizontal tricolour (green-white-green) with the Andalusian arms in the centre.
1982–	Flag of Aragon
1982–	Flag of Asturias	The flag of Asturias is light blue with the Victory Cross slightly left of the centre.
1983–	Flag of the Balearic Islands
1978–	Flag of the Basque Country
1984–	Flag of Cantabria
1982–	Flag of the Canary Islands	The flag of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands is a vertical tricolour of three equal bands of white, blue, and yellow. The state flag includes the Coat of arms of the Canary Islands in the central band; the civil flag omits this. The designs were made official by the Statute of Autonomy of the Canarian Autonomous Community (Organic Law 10/82) on 16 August 1982.
1982–	Flag of Castilla–La Mancha
(1230–1715) 1983–	Flag of Castile and León	It is formed by the combination of the historical flags of two of the oldest kingdom is the Iberian peninsula in the Middle Ages, the Kingdom of León (purple lion on silver in reference to the meaning of "león") and the Kingdom of Castile (golden castle on red in reference to the many castles that were erected all over the country). The joint historical flag dates back to mid 13th century when Ferdinand III, "the Saint", unified the two kingdoms in 1230, inaugurating the Kingdom of Castile and León, later named Crown of Castile.
1150–	Flag of Catalonia	The flag of Catalonia consists four red bars on top of a yellow background. One popular (and unproven) legend mentions this flag originating with the streaking of 4 blood-stained fingers across a plain shield. The flag derives from the royal coat of arms of the historical royal family of the Crown of Aragon, House of Barcelona.
1983–	Flag of Extremadura
19th century (official from 1984) –	Flag of Galicia	The flag of Galicia appeared for the 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 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 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 (13th century). For some time it was thought that it was based on the flag of the maritime province of Corunna, but today it is known that the design is earlier.
1982–	Flag of La Rioja
1983–	Flag of the Community of Madrid	The seven stars represent the stars of the constellation Ursa Minor. They're five-pointed because they represent the five Spanish provinces which surround the Community of Madrid.
1982–	Flag of the Region of Murcia
1982–	Flag of Navarre
1982–	Flag of the Valencian Community

Sweden[edit]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1902 (?)–	Semi-official flag of Scania

Switzerland[edit]

Date	Use	Description
1289–	Flag of Bern
15th century –	Flag of Geneva	The flag of Geneva is the historical flag of the city of Geneva, showing the Imperial Eagle and a Key of St. Peter (symbolizing the status of Geneva as Reichsstadt and as episcopal seat, respectively), in use since the 15th century.
	Flag of Glarus	Gules, a pilgrim walking towards the dexter argent, habited sable, holding in his dexter hand a staff, in his sinister hand a bible, and above his head a halo.
1386–	Flag of Lucerne
1803–	Flag of St. Gallen	A white upright fasces with the axe blade facing the hoist on green field.
1240–	Flag of Schwyz	A white banner with a cross on the top-left
13th century –	Flag of Uri	A bull's head seen face on, with a red tongue and a red nose ring, on a yellow field.
1803–	Flag of Vaud
1220 (?)–	Flag of Zürich

Ukraine[edit]

Date	Use	Description
1998–	Flag of Cherkasy Oblast
2000–	Flag of Chernihiv Oblast
2001–	Flag of Chernivtsi Oblast
1999–	Flag of Crimea^[a]	Controlled by Russia but recognised as part of Ukraine by most of the international community.
1999–	Flag of Donetsk Oblast
2002–	Flag of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
2001–	Flag of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast
1999–	Flag of Kharkiv Oblast
2001–	Flag of Kherson Oblast
2002–	Flag of Khmelnytskyi Oblast
1998–	Flag of Kirovohrad Oblast
1995–	Flag of Kyiv Municipality
1999–	Flag of Kyiv Oblast
1998–	Flag of Luhansk Oblast
2001–	Flag of Lviv Oblast
2001–	Flag of Mykolaiv Oblast
2002–	Flag of Odesa Oblast
2000–	Flag of Poltava Oblast
2005–	Flag of Rivne Oblast
2000–	Flag of Sevastopol^[m]	Controlled by Russia but recognised as part of Ukraine by most of the international community.
2000–	Flag of Sumy Oblast
2003–	Flag of Ternopil Oblast
1997–	Flag of Vinnytsia Oblast
2004–	Flag of Volyn Oblast
2001–	Flag of Zaporizhzhia Oblast
2009–	Flag of Zakarpattia Oblast
2003–	Flag of Zhytomyr Oblast

United Kingdom[edit]

Date	Use	Description
16th century –	Flag of England	England is one of the home nations that forms the United Kingdom. The St George's Cross is the customary national flag.
1953–1973	Flag of Northern Ireland	Northern Ireland is one of the home nations that forms the United Kingdom. The 'Ulster Banner' (Ulster Scots: Ulstèr Bannèr; Irish: Meirge Uladh) was the official flag of Northern Ireland between 1953 and 1973, however, its use is now unofficial and Northern Ireland lacks a unique official flag.
14th century –	Flag of Scotland	Scotland is one of the home nations that forms the United Kingdom. The 'Saltire' is the official national flag.
9th century –	Flag of Wales	Wales is one of the home nations that forms the United Kingdom. The Red Dragon (Welsh: Y Ddraig Goch) is the official national flag. The Welsh dragon has ancient origins, but was first officially flown in the modern era in 1959.

Flags of European cities[edit]

Flags of cities with over 1 million inhabitants:

Flag of Amsterdam, Netherlands
Flag of Baku, Azerbaijan^{[lower-alpha 1]}
Flag of Barcelona, Spain
Flag of Belgrade, Serbia
Flag of Berlin, Germany
Flag of Birmingham, United Kingdom
Flag of Bratislava, Slovakia
Flag of Bucharest, Romania
Flag of Budapest, Hungary
Flag of Cologne, Germany
Flag of Gyumri, Armenia^{[note 3]}
Flag of Hamburg, Germany
Flag of Kazan, Russia
Flag of Kharkiv, Ukraine
Flag of Kraków, Poland
Flag of Kyiv, Ukraine
Flag of the City of London, United Kingdom^{[note 10]}
Flag of Lyon, France
Flag of Madrid, Spain
Flag of Milan, Italy
Flag of Minsk, Belarus
Flag of Moscow, Russia
Flag of Munich, Germany
Flag of Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
Flag of Paris, France
Flag of Perm, Russia
Flag of Prague, Czech Republic
Flag of Rome, Italy
Flag of Rostov-on-Don, Russia
Flag of Saint Petersburg, Russia
Flag of Samara, Russia
Flag of Sofia, Bulgaria
Flag of Stuttgart, Germany
Flag of Tbilisi, Georgia^{[note 3]}
Flag of Ufa, Russia
Flag of Vienna, Austria
Flag of Volgograd, Russia
Flag of Voronezh, Russia
Flag of Warsaw, Poland
Flag of Yerevan, Armenia^{[note 3]}

Flags of European ethnic groups[edit]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1917–	Flag of the Crimean Tatars
	1919–	Flag of the Ingrians
	2017–	Flag of the Kven people
	1923–	Flag of the Livonians
	1971–	Flag of the Romani people
	2007–	Flag of the Rusyns
	1986–	Flag of the Sami people
	2003–	Flag of the Setos
	1842–	Flag of the Sorbs
	1992–	Flag of the Vepsians
	2013–	Flag of the Võros
	2003–	Flag of the Votians

Historical flags[edit]

Flag	Date	Use as Flag of	Description
Historical British Commonwealth
	1398–1489	Kingdom of Cyprus	The flag was officially adopted on 16 August 1960. The island is depicted in a copper shade representative of its name: the name Cyprus has roots in the Sumerian word for copper (zubar), from the large deposits of copper found on the island. The crossed green olive branches symbolise the hope for peace between the Turks and the Greeks. It was designed by İsmet Güney, a Turkish Cypriot painter.
	1881–1922	British Cyprus
	1960–	Cyprus See also: List of Cypriot flags ^{[note 4]}
	1707–1801	Great Britain	The current flag of the United Kingdom dates from the Act of Union 1800, which merged the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The "Union Jack" merges the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England), edged in white, superimposed on the diagonal red cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland), which are superimposed on the saltire of Saint Andrew (patron saint of Scotland). The flag of Wales, the other country of the United Kingdom, is not graphically represented.
	1801–	United Kingdom See also: List of United Kingdom flags
	1815–1864	United States of the Ionian Islands	The flag of Iceland was adopted in June 1915 to represent Iceland. In June 1944 it became the flag of the independent republic of Iceland. Like other Scandinavian flags, it is based on the Nordic Cross. It is a reverse colour image of the Flag of Norway. The blue represents the sea, the white represents the snow and glaciers and the red symbolises volcanic lava.
	1918–1944	Kingdom of Iceland
	1915–	Iceland See also: List of Icelandic flags
	1922–	Ireland See also: List of Irish flags	Although dating from the 19th century, the tricolour flag of Ireland was not popularised until its use by rebels during the 1916 Easter Rising. It was officially adopted by the revolutionary First Dáil (assembly) of the Irish Republic on 21 January 1919, and used thereafter by the Irish Free State. The current 1937 Constitution of Ireland defines it as the national flag. Modeled after the French tricolour, the colours of the Irish tricolour symbolise two communities. Green represents the Roman Catholic nationalist tradition. Orange represents the Protestant unionist community. White symbolises peace between both.
	1875–1898	Crown Colony of Malta	The flag of Malta was officially adopted on 21 September 1964. The flag uses the traditional red and white colours which pre-date those of the Knights of Malta and which Government emulate^{[clarification needed]} the arms of the former Universitas of Mdina. The George Cross (upper left), outlined in red, was added to the flag in the 1940s, as King George VI of the United Kingdom presented it to islanders for outstanding gallantry during World War II.
	1898–1923
	1923–1943
	1943–1964
	1964–	Malta See also: List of flags of Malta
Historical German-Roman Empire
	1400–1805	Holy Roman Empire	The tricolour flag was designed in 1832, and the black, red, and gold colours were taken from the uniforms of German soldiers during the Napoleonic Wars (Out of the blackness* (black) of servitude through bloody (red) battles to the golden (gold) light of freedom.*^[1]) or taken from the coat of arms of Holy Roman Empire.
	1867–1871	North German Confederation
	1871–1918	German Empire
	1918–1933	Weimar Republic
	1933–1935	Nazi Germany
	1935–1945	Nazi Germany
	1949–	Germany See also: List of German flags
	1949–1959	East Germany
	1959–1990	East Germany
	1804–1867	Austrian Empire	Stripes of red and white have been a collective emblem of Austria for over 800 years, and they were first used on the flag in 1191. According to long-established legend, the red and white flag was designed to resemble the bloodstained white coat worn by the Duke of Austria during a fierce battle.
	1919–1938	Austria See also: List of Austrian flags
	1938–1945	Austria within Nazi Germany
	1945–	Austria See also: List of Austrian flags
	1993–	Czech Republic See also: List of Czech flags	The first flag of Czechoslovakia was white over red, and those colours are the heraldic colours of Bohemia. The blue triangle was added to the flag to distinguish it from the flag of Poland, and blue is said to represent the State of Moravia.
	1920–1939	Free City of Danzig
	1957–	Hungary See also: List of Hungarian flags	The flag of Hungary was officially adopted in 1848. The dominant red, white and green colors of the tricolour design are derived from the historical Hungarian coat of arms. Red is said to symbolise strength, white faithfulness, and green hope.
	1861–1946	Kingdom of Italy See also: List of Italian flags	Derived from an original design by Napoleon, it consists of three vertical bands of equal width, displaying the national colours of Italy: green, white, and red. Green stands for hope, white for loyalty and red represents the blood spread to unify the country.
	1948–	Italy
	1719–1852	Liechtenstein See also: List of Liechtensteinian flags	The flag of Liechtenstein consists of two horizontal bands of blue and red with a gold crown in the canton. The crown was added to the flag in 1937 after the country found out at the 1936 Summer Olympics that their flag was identical to the civil flag of Haiti.
	1852–1921
	1921–1937
	1937–1982
	1982–
	1920–1935	Territory of the Saar Basin
	1947–1956	Saar Protectorate
	2011–	San Marino See also: List of Sammarinese flags	The flag of San Marino comprises equal horizontal bands of white and light blue with the national coat of arms superimposed in the centre.
	1889–	Switzerland See also: List of Swiss flags	The flag of Switzerland consists of a red square with a bold, equilateral white Greek cross in the centre. It is one of only two square flags, the other being that of the Vatican City or Holy See. It is based on the flag of the Canton of Schwyz, which dates back to 1474 at least.
	1929–	Vatican City/Holy See See also: List of Vatican flags	The flag of Vatican City or Holy See, adopted in June 1929, consists of two vertical bands of yellow and white with the crossed keys of Saint Peter and the Papal Tiara centred in the white band. It is one of only two square country flags in the world, the other being that of Switzerland.
Historical Latin and Benelux Nations
	1866–	Andorra See also: List of Andorran flags	The flag of Andorra, adopted in 1866, is a tricolour of blue, yellow, and red with the coat of arms of Andorra in the centre. It is based on the flags of France and Spain. The coat of arms of Andorra is based on the flag of Catalonia (4 red ribbons on yellow background).
	1830–	Belgium See also: List of Belgian flags	Black, gold and red are symbolic of the country's coat of arms. The three-striped vertical layout was inspired by the French Tricolour. Black and gold were chosen, being the colours of the Duchy of Brabant where the Belgian Revolution started. Red was added as a symbol of the blood spilled during the uprising.
	1316–1547	Duchy of Brittany
	1794–1814 1830–	France See also: List of French flags	It was officially adopted on 15 February 1794. The tricolore consists of three vertical bands of equal width, displaying the country's national colours: blue, white, and red. The blue band is positioned nearest the flagstaff, the white in the middle, and the red on the outside. Red, white and blue have come to represent liberty, equality and fraternity—the ideals of the French Revolution. Blue and red are also the time-honoured colours of Paris, while white is the colour of the Royal House of Bourbon.
	1845–	Luxembourg See also: List of flags of Luxembourg	The flag of Luxembourg was officially adopted in 1972, although it had been used since 1848 following Luxembourg's independence from the Netherlands in the late 19th century.^{[dates disagree]} The flag uses a combination of red, white, and blue that dates to the 13th century, and the Grand Duke's coat of arms.
	1881–	Monaco See also: List of flags of Monaco	The flag of Monaco has two horizontal bands of red and white—these have been the heraldic colours of the House of Grimaldi since at least 1339.
	1575 (first used) 1937 (officially adopted)–	Netherlands See also: List of flags of the Netherlands	The flag of the Netherlands was officially adopted on 19 February 1937. At one time this tricolour flag was orange, white, and blue, as those were the livery colours of William of Orange, a Dutch prince. In the 17th century, red replaced the orange as a flag colour, because the orange dye used on the flag was unstable, and turned red after exposure to the sun. It is the oldest tricolour flag still in national use^[6] and has influenced both the French^[3] (1794) and Russian flag^[4] (1693); both of these flags have in turn influenced many other European and African flags.
	1911–	Portugal See also: List of Portuguese flags	The flag of Portugal was officially adopted on 30 June 1911. The design is a rectangular bi-colour (2:3 ratio) with a field vertically divided into two stripes of different widths—a green stripe on the hoist, and a larger red stripe on the fly. A small version of the national coat of arms (armillary sphere and Portuguese shield) is superimposed over the boundary between the colours at equal distance from the upper and lower edges. The field colours, especially the green, originally represented a radical republican-inspired change that broke the bond with the former religious monarchical flag. In the ensuing decades, these colours were popularly propagandised as representing the hope of the nation (green) and the blood (red) of those who died defending it, as a means to endow them with a more patriotic and dignified, therefore less political, sentiment.
	1785–1873, 1875–1931	Kingdom of Spain	The flag of Spain was officially adopted on 19 July 1927 as the merchant naval flag, and on 29 December 1978 as the national flag under the current Spanish Constitution. However the first original reference dates back to 15 May 1785, when Charles III of Spain adopted one of the designs proposed by Antonio Valdés y Bazán, commissioned by the king himself, in order to easily differentiate his ships from those of other European nations, many of which used the royal coat of arms over a white background, i.e. the French Bourbon royal flag. The red and golden-yellow colours were used from that day with mere changes^{[clarification needed]} on the coat of arms (with the exception of the Spanish Second Republic) and are the original colours found within the coat of arms of the medieval kingdoms of Castile, Aragon and Navarre, first united by King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile.
	1873–1874	First Spanish Republic
	1931–1939	Second Spanish Republic
	1936–1938	Spanish State
	1938–1945	Spanish State
	1945–1977	Spanish State / Kingdom of Spain
	1977–1981	Kingdom of Spain
	(1785 original design) 1981–	Spain See also: List of Spanish flags
Historical Ottoman Empire
	1912–1946	Albania See also: List of Albanian flags	The flag of Albania, adopted in April 1912, is a red flag with a black double-headed eagle in the centre. It is derived from the seal of Gjergj Kastriot Skanderbeg, a 15th-century Albanian who led a revolt against the Ottoman Empire that resulted in brief independence for Albania from 1443 to 1478.
	1946–1992	People's Socialist Republic of Albania
	1992–	Albania
	1878–1947	Bulgaria See also: List of Bulgarian flags	The flag of Bulgaria was adopted in 1989 and consists of three horizontal bands of white, green and red.
	1947–1948	People's Republic of Bulgaria
	1948–1967
	1967–1971
	1971–1990
	1991–	Bulgaria
	1978– (Civil flag since 1822)	Greece See also: List of Greek flags	The current flag of Greece was adopted as a civil flag and ensign in 1822, and as the national flag in 1978. It features a white cross and a combination of nine (five blue and four white) horizontal stripes. The shade of blue has varied over the years, and darker blue (shown) is now commonly used. The alternating white and blue stripes are said to represent the nine syllables of the phrase "Eleftheria i thanatos" ("Freedom or Death"), a popular motto during the Greek War of Independence. During the Kingdom of Greece, a crown was added in the centre of the cross. Greece's national flag between 1822 and 1970 featured a simple white cross on a blue background. It is not known why this version was adopted, and not a blue cross on a white background as was popular in the War of Independence. During the dictatorship, a navy blue version of the current flag with proportions of 7:12 was used.
	1844–1922	Ottoman Empire	The flag of Turkey is a red flag with a white crescent moon and a star in its centre. The flag is called Ay Yıldız (literally, moon star) or Albayrak (Red flag). It was adopted in 1844 with the Tanzimat reforms; though the shape, placement and shade of the colour^{[clarification needed]} vary. The geometric proportions of the flag were legally standardised with the Turkish Flag Law in 1936.
	1922–	Turkey See also: List of Turkish flags
Scandinavian Nations
	1219–	Denmark See also: List of Danish flags	It is the world's oldest state flag still in use. Legend has it that it appeared as a sign from heaven to King Valdemar II in 1219. Known as the Dannebrog ("Danish Cloth"), this blood-red flag with an off-centred white cross (a "Nordic Cross") became a model for other regional flags.
	1918–	Finland See also: List of Finnish flags	It was officially adopted on 29 May 1918. The off-centred blue cross is based on the Nordic Cross, widely used on Nordic national flags. The blue colour is symbolic of blue skies, and the thousands of lakes in Finland. The white represents the winter snows.
	1821–1844 1898–	Norway See also: List of flags of Norway	The flag of Norway is red with a blue Nordic cross outlined in white; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog, the flag of Denmark. It was adopted in 1821, but a union mark was added in the canton from 1844 to 1898.
	(1569–1814) 1906– ^[5]	Sweden See also: List of Swedish flags	The flag of Sweden was officially adopted on 22 June 1906. The off-centre yellow cross (the Nordic Cross) is taken from the Danish flag. The yellow and blue colours are taken from the national coat of arms. It was adopted in 1569, but a union mark was added in the canton from 1844 to 1905.
Historical Soviet Republics
	1921–1922	Socialist Soviet Republic of Abkhazia	This recently adopted flag is a simple white rectangle, with a central red cross connecting all four sides of the flag; in each of the four corners is a small red cross. The flag is based on a historic five-cross design that dates back to the 14th century.
	1991–1992	Socialist Soviet Republic of Abkhazia
	1990–2004	Georgia See also: List of Georgian flags ^{[note 3]}
	2004–	Georgia See also: List of Georgian flags ^{[note 3]}
	1918–1920	Armenia See also: List of Armenian flags ^{[note 3]}	After gaining independence, the First Republic of Armenia adopted the modern Armenian tricolor. The independent Armenian government selected the colours used during the last period of the Rubenid Dynasty: red, blue and orange. The red emblematizes the Armenian Highland, the Armenian people's continued struggle for survival, maintenance of the Christian faith, Armenia's independence and freedom. The blue emblematizes the will of the people of Armenia to live beneath peaceful skies. The orange emblematizes the creative talent and hard-working nature of the people of Armenia.
	1922	Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic
	1991–	Armenia
	1992 – 2023	Artsakh	The flag of Artsakh is based on the Flag of Armenia, and has a white pattern added.
	1918	Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan	Originally adopted in 1918 as a flag of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan, it was officially adopted again in 1991, after Azerbaijan gained its independence. The flag of Azerbaijan is the national ensign of Azerbaijan. It consists of three equal horizontal bands colored blue, red, and green, with a white crescent and an eight-pointed star centered in the red band. The blue band refers to Turkic heritage, the red is for progress and Europeanisation and the green refers to Islam.
	1920	Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic
	1920–1921
	1921–1922
	1918–1920 1991–	Azerbaijan See also: List of Azerbaijani flags ^{[note 3]}
	1991–1995	Belarus See also: List of Belarusian flags	Belarus's flag was officially adopted on 10 February 2012. The dominant red-green bicolour was used on its flag when it was a republic within the former Soviet Union. The woven fabric ornament on the left uses traditional Belarusian red and white colours.
	1995–2012
	1995–
	1954–1992	Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
	1918–1940 1990–	Estonia See also: List of Estonian flags	It was officially re-adopted on 8 May 1990. The story of the flag begins on 17 September 1881, when the constituent Assembly of the first Estonian national student Corps "Vironia" (modern Estonian Students Society) in the city of Tartu was also identified in color; it later became national. The first flag was made in 1884 and this tricolour was accepted in 1918 as the national flag of Estonia. The original flag is still in existence. The first flag of Estonia is kept in Tartu Estonian National Museum. Blue represents loyalty, and the country's beautiful blue skies, seas and lakes; black is symbolic of past oppression and the fertile soil; and white represents virtue, winter snows, and Estonia's long struggle for freedom and independence.
	1991–1992	Kazakhstan See also: List of Kazakh flags ^{[note 11]}	Adopted on 4 June 1992. The flag has a gold sun with 32 rays above a soaring golden steppe eagle, both centered on a teal background; the hoist side displays a national ornamental pattern called "koshkar-muiz" (the horns of the ram) in gold.
	1992–
	1918–1920	Kuban People's Republic
	1918–1940 1990–	Latvia See also: List of Latvian flags	The flag of Latvia was officially re-adopted on 27 February 1990. The design is adopted from a 13th-century chronicle where "red divided by white" is said to be a Latvian flag. To distinguish it from the Austrian flag, the proportions 2:1:2 and the "Latvian red" color have been adopted.
	1918–1940 1989–	Lithuania See also: List of Lithuanian flags	The flag of Lithuania was officially re-adopted on 20 March 1989, before Lithuania gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1990. Yellow is symbolic of the country's wheat fields, green symbolic of the forests, and red symbolises patriotism. Collectively the colours represent hope for the future, freedom from oppression, and the courage of the Lithuanian people.
	1990–	Moldova See also: List of Moldovan flags	Moldova's flag was officially adopted on 12 May 1990. Once part of Romania, Moldova's flag reflects that association, as the two countries use almost identical shades of red, yellow and blue in their national flags. The centred Moldova shield's main feature is a golden eagle holding an Orthodox Christian Cross in its beak. The olive branch is said to symbolise peace.
	1917–1922	Flag of the Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus
	1815–1918	Congress of Poland
	1919–	Flag of Poland See also: List of Polish flags	The colours red and white have long been associated with Poland and its coat of arms, at least since 3 May 1791.
	1867–1948	Romania	The flag of Romania was officially re-adopted in 1989. The first red-yellow-blue flag dates from 1834 but the colours themselves are thought to have had special significance from earlier times. The current layout dates since 1848. A vertical tricolour of bands of blue, yellow, and red of equal width and overall proportions of 2:3 (height-width).
	1948	Romanian People's Republic
	1948–1952
	1952–1965
	1965–1989'
	1989–	Romania See also: List of Romanian flags
	1263–1551	Grand Duchy of Moscow	The Russian Federation flag was officially adopted on 22 August 1991. The flag was hoisted shortly after the former Soviet Union collapsed. The white, blue and red are Pan-Slavic colours.
	1480–1551
	1551–1560
	1560–1570	Tsardom of Russia
	1570–1580
	1580–1612
	1612–1654
	1654–1666
	1666–1668
	1668–1693
	1693–1721
	1721–1858	Russian Empire
	1858–1883
	1883–1917
	1918	Russian Soviet Republic
	1918–1920	Russian State
	1920–1922	Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic
	1922–1923	Soviet Union
	1923–1924
	1924–1936
	1936–1955
	1955–1991
	1991–1993	Russia See also: List of Russian flags ^{[note 12]}
	1993–	Russia See also: List of Russian flags ^{[note 12]}
	1440–1500	Crimean Khanate	Ukraine's flag was adopted on 4 September 1991, shortly after the collapse of the former Soviet Union. This is the country's original flag used by the short-lived Ukrainian People's Republic, but it was banned for many decades under the Soviet regime. The shade of blue is said to be symbolic of the sky, while the yellow represents Ukraine's golden wheat fields.
	1500–1542	Crimean Khanate
	1542–1604	Grand Duchy of Lithuania
	1605–1795	Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
	1654–1655	Cossack Hetman
	1654–1666	Tsardom of Russia
	1721–1858	Russian Empire
	1858–1883
	1883–1917
	1917–1919	Ukrainian People's Republic
	1919–1922	Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
	1918–1920 1992–	Ukraine See also: List of Ukrainian flags
Historical Yugoslavian Republics
	1992–1998	Bosnia and Herzegovina	The flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina consists of a wide medium blue vertical band on the fly side with a yellow isosceles triangle abutting the band and the top of the flag. The remainder of the flag is medium blue with seven five-pointed white stars and two half stars top and bottom along the hypotenuse of the triangle. The three points of the triangle stand for the three nations of Bosnia: Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs. It is said to represent the map of Bosnia.
	1998–	Bosnia and Herzegovina
	1990–	Croatia See also: List of Croatian flags	The flag of Croatia, adopted in December 1990, consists of three equal horizontal stripes of red, white and blue and the coat of arms of Croatia in the center.
	1835–1882	Principality of Serbia	The flag of Serbia consists of three horizontal bands of red, blue and white, with the coat-of-arms located left of centre. By accident or design the colours are that of the Russian flag reversed. A flag with three horizontal bands of red, blue and white has been used as the national flag of Serbia and Serbs since 1815. Red, blue, and white are considered Pan-Slavic colours, but red and blue also occur on flags attributed to a 13th-century king of Serbia. The superimposed coat of arms of Serbia is a double-headed white eagle and a red shield with a white cross surrounded by 4 firesteels (ocila), a symbol that draws roots from Saint Sava Serbian Cross and from the ancient past of the Balkan peninsula, as it can be seen on 7000 years old Vinča culture pottery and many other later traditional Balkan cultural remains. The flag of Montenegro, adopted in July 2004, is a red banner bearing the coat of arms adopted in 1993. The country's coat of arms is derived from those of King Nikola.
	1852–1905	Principality of Montenegro/ Kingdom of Montenegro
	1882–1918	Kingdom of Serbia
	1905–1918	Kingdom of Montenegro
	1918–1943	Yugoslavia
	1943–1946
	1946–1992
	1992-2006	Serbia and Montenegro
	2006–	Montenegro See also: List of flags of Montenegro
	2006– (Civil flag since 1835)	Serbia See also: List of flags of Serbia
	1991–1992	Republic of Macedonia	The flag of North Macedonia depicts a rising yellow sun with eight rays extending to the edges of the red field. It represents "the new sun of liberty", evoked in the Macedonian national anthem Denes nad Makedonija (Today Over Macedonia).
	1992–1995	Republic of Macedonia
	1995–	North Macedonia See also: List of flags of North Macedonia
	1992–	Slovakia See also: List of Slovak flags	The flag of Slovakia was officially adopted on 1 September 1992. White, blue and red are traditional Pan-Slavic colours. The superimposed Slovakian arms feature a dominant white cross atop a blue symbolic reference to the European country's mountains.
	1991–	Slovenia See also: List of Slovenian flags	The flag of Slovenia was officially adopted on 24 June 1991. Red, white, and blue are taken from the Carniolan coat of arms. The flag without the coat of arms was in use from 1848 to 1945. The Slovenian coat of arms features three gold stars, symbolizing the Counts of Celje. The mountains shown in white are representative of the Alps, and Mount Triglav, Slovenia's national symbol, in particular; the wavy blue lines across the bottom indicate Slovenia's access to the sea.

Historical supranational and international flags[edit]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1949–1991	Flag of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance
	1958–1972	Flag of the European Coal and Steel Community
	1973–1980	Flag of the European Coal and Steel Community
	1981–1985	Flag of the European Coal and Steel Community
	1986–2002	Flag of the European Coal and Steel Community
	1993–1995	Flag of the Western European Union
	1995–2011	Flag of the Western European Union

Notes[edit]

↑ The European Parliament adopted the Council of Europe's flag in 1983.
↑ Adopted by the European Communities in 1986, which became the European Union in 1992 continuing its usage.
↑ ^3.00 ^3.01 ^3.02 ^3.03 ^3.04 ^3.05 ^3.06 ^3.07 ^3.08 ^3.09 ^3.10 ^3.11 Part of the Caucasus region, at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, the boundaries of which may vary based on definition. Physiographically, Armenia may be considered to fall entirely in Western Asia, whereas Georgia and Azerbaijan are at times deemed transcontinental states spanning both Europe and Asia.
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 The island of Cyprus, which includes the Republic of Cyprus, Northern Cyprus and Akrotiri and Dhekelia, is geographically located in Asia, closer to Asian Turkey than to the European mainland. However, the Republic of Cyprus is a member state of the European Union.
↑ Kazakhstan is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia with a small part of its territory located west of the Ural Mountains in Eastern Europe.
↑ Russia is a transcontinental country that spans both Eastern Europe and Northern Asia.
↑ Turkey is a transcontinental country located mainly in Western Asia with a small portion of its territory in Southeastern Europe called East Thrace.
↑ Controlled by Russia but recognised as part of Ukraine by most of the international community
↑ Controlled by Russia but recognised as part of Ukraine by most of the international community
↑ Greater London as a whole doesn't have an official flag. The flag of the City of London is displayed here.
↑ Kazakhstan is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia with a small part of its territory located west of the Ural Mountains in Eastern Europe.
↑ Russia is a transcontinental country that spans both Eastern Europe and Northern Asia.

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Continental placement may vary depending on geographic convention being followed.

References[edit]

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 (in German) Scheidler, Karl Hermann (1865-08-05) Illustrierte Zeitung, Leipzig, 98
↑ Central Intelligence Agency (2015-11-24). The CIA World Factbook 2016. Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. ISBN 9781510700895.
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 "flag of France". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 "flag of Russia". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 Changed to a lighter blue
↑ ^6.0 ^6.1 Central Intelligence Agency (2015-11-24). The CIA World Factbook 2016. Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. ISBN 9781510700895.
↑ "Etelä-Savon maakuntahallitus valitsi maakuntalipun". www.esavo.fi. Archived from the original on 2020-06-12. Retrieved 2020-06-12.