National Flags of Europe.

After centuries of Ottoman rule, Albania became independant in 1912, with a flag similar to today's.

During the communist era, a gold outlined star appeared above the double headed eagle.

The star was removed at the demise of communism in Albania in 1992. The current version was adopted on April 7th of the same year.

Armenia was for centuries a small part of the Ottoman empire until 1918. Brief independance followed before Armenia was swallowed by the former USSR, becoming a Soviet republic in 1922.

During the Soviet era the Armenian national flag was forbidden to be flown, but it returned in 1991 as the flag of the Republic of Armenia.

One of the oldest states in the world, yet Andorra's flag only dates from about 1897and it's origin is obscure.

Since the 13th century, Andorra has traditionally been protected by the neighbouring countries of France and Spain, and their colours are represented on the flag. France by the blue and red, Spain by the yellow and red.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire was one of the many monarchies to disappear after WWI, but the new republic retained the red-white-red tribar dating from about 1230.

From 1934 to 1945 Austria was part of the German Third Reich, so during that period it flew the flag of Nazi Germany.

From 1946 Austria has flown the flag that appears at the left.

The flag was created at the start of Azerbaijan's brief independance from the Ottoman Empire before it was swallowed by the former Soviet Union in 1920.

The 8 points of the star represent the 8 groups of Turkic speaking peoples of Azerbaijan; the Azeris, Jagatais, Kipchaks, Ottomans, Seljuks and Turkomans.

The present flag, similar to that of the former Soviet Republic of Byelorussia was adopted on June 7 1995.

The patterned red and white vertical bar at the hoist is derived from a woven pattern that appears on the Belarus national costume.

The Belgian flag was probably based on the French Tricolore, but the colours are from the Coat of Arms of the Duchy of Brabant.
During the 1789 revolution the flag appeared with the same colours, but with the stripes running horizontally.

The present flag was adopted in 1831 after Belgium gained independence from the Netherlands in 1830.

The white and red colours of the Bulgarian flag originate from the flag of Russia used during the Russo-Turkish War of 1878. The blue being replaced by green after Bulgaria's independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1878.

After the monarchy was abolished in 1946, and a people's republic proclaimed, a lion, cog wheel and a star were added to the white band. These were removed in 1990.

Like Slovenia, Croatia was part of Hungary, then Yugoslavia before becoming a semi-independant Marxist state at the end of WWll.
When Croatia was part of Yugoslavia its flag was the same, except for a five-pointed red star with a yellow border in place of the coat of arms.

The checkerboard has been a symbol of Croatian kings since the 10th Century.

The Czech Republic flag is identical to that of the former Czechoslovakia.

The Czech Republic adopted this flag as their own on 17 December 1992, violating an agreement that they wouldn't adopt any of the former Czechoslovakia's emblems.

The Czech Republic and Slovakia separated on 1 January 1993.

The Kingdom of Denmark dates from the 10th century, and the 'Dannebrog' (Danish Cloth), is often claimed to be the oldest national flag, being adopted in 1625.

The cross design of the Danish flag is the model for all other Scandinavian flags.

The cross on the Danish flag is now common to most Scandinavian flags, and symbolizes the hereditary links between them all.

Estonia's flag was originally adopted on 21 November 1918 after Estonia declared her independence from Russia during the Russian Revolution.

Taken over by Russia again (as the Soviet Union) in June 1940, the flag was banned. Estonia regained its independence on 20 August 1991.

The Estonian flag was adopted on 7 August 1990.

Probably originating with Faroese students in Copenhagen it was later brought to the Faroe Islands where it was first raised on 22 June 1919.

During WWll it was used to distinguish Faroe Islands vessels from German-occupied Danish vessels.

Faroe Islands are a self governing territory of Denmark.
The flag at the left was officially adopted on 5 June 1959.The cross on the flag is common to most Scandinavian flags, and symbolizes the hereditary links between them all.

Finland proclaimed it's independance from Russia in 1917 and introduced the present flag in 1918.

Various combinations of white and blue have appeared on Finnish flags for hundreds of years.

The cross on the Finland flag is common to most Scandinavian flags, and symbolizes the hereditary links between them all.

The French flag is based on a red, white and blue cockade, worn by King Louis XVI while he addressed a revolutionary gathering in Paris.

The French flag was created in 1790 and adopted in May 1794, but with the colours reversed to how they appear today.

After Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, the flag fell into disuse, however it returned in 1830 and has remained in use ever since.

Today's Georgian flag was adopted on 14 January 2004, making it one of the world's newer flags.

The first record of the five-cross flag design dates from the mid 14th century.

In 1945 Germany was divided into 4 'Zones of Occupation', Then into two, east and west.The west became the Federal Republic of Germany and the east became the German Democratic Republic, both in 1949.

In 1990 the east and west were reunited to form the new Germany.

The colours of the flag were taken from the uniforms of the German soldiers of the Napolionic Wars. Flag first adopted in 1848, readopted in 1949.

Once part of the vast Ottoman Empire, Greece has seen periodic unrest since WW2.

At various times since the end of the 19th century Greece has used a plain white cross on a blue background.
Today the plain cross flag is reserved for the Greek President's flag.

The shade of blue has varied over the years. Today's colour is the same as was originally flown in 1822.

Greenland's flag was designed locally and adopted in 1985.

In the Danish colours, the white represents the ice, and the red the sun.

Greenland is an overseas territory of Denmark.

The colours were probably derived from the historical coat of arms, and the stripes from the revolutionary flag of France.

When Hungary became independant in 1918, the Hungarian arms were added, and were relaced with Soviet insignia during the communist era (1949-1990).

At the restoration of democracy, all insignia were removed.

Iceland was under Danish occupation and influence from the 14th Century.

Iceland adopted it's own flag in 1915 based on the Danish flag -the 'Dannebrog' (Danish Cloth).

Blue and white are traditional Iceland colours, and the red is from the Danish flag.

The cross on the flag is common to most Scandinavian flags, and symbolizes the hereditary links between them all.

The 1916 Easter rebellion against the British occupation led to the creation of the Irish Free State in 1922 and independance in 1937.
The green, white and orange colours were used by Irish Nationalists in the struggle with England in 1848. Green representing the Catholics and orange the Protestants (from William of Orange).
At independance, the green, white and orange tricolour was raised as the national flag of the Irish Free State (Republic of Ireland from 1949).

Italy from 1796 to 1814 was temporarily united under French rule and during this time the flag was designed, some say by Napoleon.

When Victor Emmanual II formed the Kingdom of Italy in 1861, he retained the flag although adding the coat of arms of the House of Savoy in the centre.

The arms were removed in 1946 when the monarchy was abolished.

The colour of the flag of Latvia although described as 'red' is almost brown.

The modern Latvian flag, based on an old written document, was designed and used from the late 19th century until Latvia came under Soviet rule. During this rule the flag was banned but was restored in 1990 when Latvia became independant again.

Created as a principality of the Holy Roman Empire in 1719, Liechtenstein has been independant since 1806.

At the 1936 Berlin Olympics it was discovered that both Liechtenstein and Haiti had the same flag, so the following year a gold crown was added to the national flag of Liechtenstein.

Whether the flag is flown horizontally or vertically, the crown must always be upright.

Finally free from Czarist Russia in 1918, Lithuania adopted the present flag.

Reoccupation by Russia (as the Soviet Union) in 1940, resulted in the flag being banned, only to emerge again at independance in 1991.

The yellow. green and red are the colours of traditional Lithuanian cloth.

Europe's last independant duchy derived it's colours from the 13th century's coat of arms of the then Grand Duke.

As part of the Netherlands in early 19th century, the pattern is the same, and the colours are very similar, although Luxembourg's blue is a lighter shade.

The Macedonian flag was the only Yugoslavian provincial flag to fly during the communist time (1945-91) that did not use the panslavic colours of red, white and blue. It was a gold edged star in the chief canton, on a red field.
A controversial new flag new flag, designed before independance in 1992, was abandoned after three years.

The current flag retains the old colours of red and gold from the traditional Macedonian coat of arms.

Red and white are the traditional colours of the Knights of Malta [aka Knights of St John of Jerusalem] who made Malta their home after being ousted in 1530 from the island of Rhodes by their Muslim conquerers.

Their emblem -the 'cross patée' [Maltese cross] appears on the hoist of the Republic of Malta's flag.

Malta, due to its stategic location was annexed by England in 1814, finally becoming independant in 1964, the year of the present flag's adoption.

In 1940, the eastern part of the principality of Moldavia were separated from Romania and became the Soviet Republic of Moldova, the western part being absorbed into Romania.

The flag of Moldova has similar colours to Romania's, although distinguished by the Moldovan arms in the central panel. The Moldovan arms are based on the arms of the former principality of Moldavia.

In 2006 Montenegro declared it's independence, re-establishing Montenegro as an independent state and making it the sixth republic of the former Yugoslavia make the split. The loose confederation with Serbia was dropped at the same time.

It originated only partially from the old military flags of Montenegro and was initially criticized for being non-vexicologic.

The Flag of Montenegro was adopted on 12 July 2004. It is a red banner with gold edges and the coat-of-arms of Montenegro at the center.

The first horizontal tricolour of the Netherlands, 'Prinsenvlag' (Prince's flag) was first raised in the late 1500s, though with orange instead of the present red. The orange honoured William the Silent, (1533-84) a Protestant prince of Orange who rebelled against the Catholic king of Spain, and established an independant country in 1581.

Red gradually replaced the orange, and by the 1700s, red was the confirmed colour.
Orange remains the royal colour, and on special occasions, an orange pennant is raised above the national flag.

Ruled by Denmark from 1380, Norwegian ships flew the Dannebrog (Danish cloth). Ceded to Sweden in 1814, Norway's current flag was mooted in 1821 when a member of the Norwegian parliament suggested the addition of a blue cross.

In 1899 after a long struggle, Norway gained the right to fly this flag without the 'union badge' -that the Swedes had insisted on.
After independance in 1905, this flag was retained.

The use of a red and white flag dates from the 13th century, and red and white became regional colours in 1831, although Poland as a country did not exist at this time.

The national arms are said to date from 1228, depicting a crowned white eagle on a red field. The eagle retained it's crown long after the fall of the monachy, although during the communist times the crown was removed and the eagle's head was turned to face left.

Portugal's exploring history is reflected in the old navigation instrument (an armillary sphere) depicted on the flag.

The new flag, adopted in 1910 after the revolution, has a field of red to signify revolution, and the green the colour of hope. Green was also the favourite colour of Prince Henry the Navigator.

When the principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia broke from the Ottoman empire in 1859, they united as an independant kingdom with the tricolour flag of blue, yellow and red.
The placement was changed from horizontal back to vertical in 1867. It remained in this form ever since, with the blue colour at the hoist -apart from the communist regime time (1947-1989).

The current flag was officially adopted in 1989.

This flag, inspired by the Netherlands flag, was used by the Russian merchant fleet since Peter the Great's time.

The flag was replaced by the red flag with the hammer, sickle and star during the comunist era (1919-1991).

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the red, white and blue flag reemerged as the official flag of the Russian Federation.

The tiny state of San Marino, totaly enclosed by Italy, is one of the oldest and smallest states in the world.

Although the country dates from the 4th century, the flag of San Marino was designed in 1797.

In 1918 the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was formed, changing it's name in 1929 to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia with this flag.
After WWII (1945) communist Yugoslavia added a gold edged red star to the centre of the flag.
At the fall of communism, all the Yugoslavian 'republics' seceded, except Serbia and Montenegro. A confed. of Serbia and Montenegro was formed in 2003 to 2006, but no decision could be reached on a flag.
The former flag -minus the star continues to be used in Serbia as a temporary measure.

In 1918, when Slovakia became part of Czechoslovakia, it had the same flag as the Czech Republic has now.

With the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, the flag adopted was similar to Russia's, but with the Slovak coat of arms added offset.

A flag of white over blue over red was first raised in 1848 during a failed revolt against Austrian domination. At the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, Slovenia became part of Yugoslavia.
In 1946, as a communist republic within Yugoslavia, it acquired its own flag -a revival of the 1848 flag with the addition of a gold bordered red star at the centre.

Slovenia's current flag, adopted in 1991, has the star removed and Slovenia's national arms added to the upper hoist side.

Red and yellow have appeared on the flags of Catalonia, Aragon and Castile since the 13th century and were used from 1785 on Spain's merchant fleet.

A purple band was added when Spain became a republic in 1931, but the original flag was restored in 1939.

Since then the flag has incorporated the national arms.

By royal decree in 1569, all Swedish battle flags and banners were to depict a gold cross.

The current flag probably dates from soon after, the blue and gold colours coming from the Swedish coat of arms, and the design from the Danish flag, the Dannebrog.

The cross on the Swedish flag is common to most Scandinavian flags, and it symbolizes the hereditary links between them all.

A white upright cross on a red background is a relic of medieval times when many European states flew a cross on a plain field.
In the 13th century, the Schwyz canton flew a flag of a white cross on a red field, that may have influenced the choice of flag for the confederation of Swiss cantons.
The Swiss flag is square, for marine craft the ratio is 2:3.
The flag was adopted in 1848, the proportions regulated in 1852.

Red has been the favoured colour of Turkish flags since Ottoman times.

When the white crescent and star first appeared on the Ottoman flag in 1793, they were already well established symbols of Islam. The star originally had eight points, but were reduced to five in 1793.

The flag proportions and it's specifications were regulated in 1936.

The origin dates from 1277 with the banner of England's patron saint St George -a red cross quartering a white field. (sometimes used as the flag of England).
The white diagonal cross on a blue field, of St Andrew of Scotland dates from 1385
The two flags were joined in 1606 when James VI accended the throne of England.

In 1801 the Act of Union joined England and Scotland with Ireland, and the St Patrick's cross -a red diagonal cross on a white field, was added to form the present flag.

Ukraine became independant of Czarist Russia in 1918 and with it's own flag, though within a year it was part of the new Soviet Union.

The flag was banned duing the Soviet era -though allowed during the brief period Ukraine was controlled by Nazi Germany during WWII.
When independance was regained in 1991 this flag reappeared. It is said to represent golden wheatfields stretching to the horizon and to the blue sky.

According to the Vatican, gold and silver are the colours of the keys to the kingdom of heaven, entrusted by Jesus to St Peter.
This flag was adopted in 1825 and used until the Papal States were absorbed into a unified Italy in 1870.
Independant status, granted to the Vatican by the Lateran Treaty in 1929, Italy recognised the sovereignty of the Pope over Vatican City.

The official proportions of the flag are 1:1, although the flags flown over Vatican City are 2:3.

In 1955 the Council of Europe (forerunner of the European Union) adopted a flag of a circle of gold stars on a blue field. This design was accepted by the new European Union a year later.

The original intention was to have one star for each of the member countries, but it was decided to have an arbitary number of stars that would avoid adding a new star each time a country joined the Union.

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