BRAZIL
WORLD FLAGS
SITE ON THE ORIGIN, DESIGN AND SYMBOLOGY OF THE FLAGS OF THE WORLD
#F / FINLAND / Europe
FINLAND
.FI
Official name:
Republic of Finland
*Finnish / Suomen Tasavalta
*Swedish / Republic of Finland
Capital: Helsinki
Idiom: finnish and swedish
Form of Government: Parlamentary republic
Currency: Euro
Demonym: Finnish/-esa * Finnish/-sa
Administrative divition: 19 Regions
FLAG
The flag of Finland, also called the Siniristilippu ("Blue Cross Flag") , dates from the early 20th century. On a white background, it features a blue Nordic cross, which represents Christianity.
Like that of Sweden, Finland's national flag is based on the Scandinavian cross. It was adopted after independence from Russia, when many patriotic Finns wanted a special flag for their country, but its design dates back to the 19th century. The color blue is said to represent the country's thousands of lakes and sky, with white for the snow that covers the land in winter. This color combination has also been used over the centuries in various Finnish provincial, military and municipal flags.
civil flag
Proportion: 11 x 18
The first known "Flag of Finland" was introduced in 1848, along with the national anthem Maamme. His motif was the coat of arms of Finland, surrounded by laurel leaves, on a white flag.
The current blue cross design was first used in Finland by Nyländska Jaktklubben, a yacht club founded in Helsinki in 1861. In addition to the blue cross on the white background, the yacht club's flag had the crowned arms of the Uusimaa province within two crossed Branches in the upper quarter of the hoist. Except for the position of the cross, the flag was similar to the flag of the St. Petersburg Yacht Club, founded the year before. The design harkens back to the Russian Navy insignia, which has a blue cross on a white background. During the Crimean War, Finnish merchant ships captured by the Franco-British fleet flew a flag called the Flag of Saint George, which was based on the Russian Customs flag. In this variant the cross was slimmer than on the modern flag and the proportions were the same. Another blue cross flag was made official in 1861 for private vessels.
OTHER FLAGS
The Finnish flag is used in three main variants. The usual national flag is used by all Finnish citizens, organizations and municipalities and regions. Anyone can fly the national flag whenever they see fit.
STATE FLAG
The rectangular state flag is used by bodies of the Finnish national and provincial governments, by the Cathedral Chapters of the two national churches (Evangelical Lutheran and Orthodox) and non-naval vessels of the state.
state flag
Proportion: 11 x 18
military flag
Proportion: 11 x 18
Naval Pavilion
Ratio: 1 x 1
Presidential Banner
Proportion: 11 x 18
CONSTRUCTION
A : 5 | B : 3 | C : 10 | D : 4 | E : 11 | E : 18
COLORS
60 %
White
HEX CODE
#ffffff
SYMBOLIZES:
REPRESENTS THE COLOR OF THE SNOW THAT COVERS THE LANDS IN THE WINTER
40 %
Blue
HEX CODE
# 003580
SYMBOLIZES:
REPRESENTS THE WATER OF THE THOUSANDS OF LAKES AND THE SKY
HISTORY
flag of the
Kalmar Union
1397 - 1537
Flag of
Sweden
1537 - 1650
Flag of
Sweden
1650 - 1809
flag of the
Russian empire
1858 - 1896
flag of the
Russian empire
1896 - 1914
flag of the
Russian empire
1914 - 1917
Flag of the Great
Duchy of Finland
1917 - 1918
flag used by the
Socialist Workers
1918
Flag of
Finland
1918 - 1920
Flag of
Finland
1920 - 1978
REGIONAL FLAGS
flag of the
region of
North Karelia
flag of the
region of
South Karelia
flag of the
region of
Central Finland
flag of the
region of
southwestern finland
flag of the
region of
Aland Islands
flag of the
region of
Kainuu
flag of the
region of
Kymenlaakso
flag of the
region of
Lapland
flag of the
region of
Ostrobothnia
flag of the
region of
Central Ostrobothnia
flag of the
region of
Northern Ostrobothnia
flag of the
region of
South Ostrobothnia
flag of the
region of
Päijänne Tavastia
flag of the
region of
Pirkanmaa
flag of the
region of
satakunta
flag of the
region of
North Savonia
flag of the
region of
South Savonia
flag of the
region of
Tavastia Proper
flag of the
region of
Uusimaa
SHIELD
Finland's coat of arms shows a standing crowned lion on a gules (red) background. The lion raises a sword in his gloved right hand and is stepping on a curved saber. The lion, the crown, and the handle of the sword and saber are gold, as is the gauntlet joint. The blades of the weapons and the glove are silver. The background is adorned with nine silver roses.
When King Gustaf I of Sweden, who died in 1560, granted his son John the title of Duke of Finland in 1556, the territory received its own coat of arms, which was probably approved by the king in 1557; although as far as is known, the duke never used it. In addition to the national emblems, this coat of arms included two other symbols referring to northern and southern Finland, the areas that are today Satakunta and Varsinais Suomi (Genuine Finland). These two symbols would later be preserved in the coats of arms of both provinces.
Following his ascension to the Swedish throne, King John III in 1581 adopted the title "Grand Duke of Finland and Karelia". It was probably around this time or a little later that Finland received a second coat of arms, which is somewhat similar to the current one. It is thought that this was modeled on a sculpted shield for the tombstone of King Gustaf I in Uppsala Cathedral, completed in 1591. This monument was designed during the reign of John's elder brother, Erik XVI, who was king from 1560 to 1568. , but it was only completed 30 years later during John's reign. The shield was probably designed by the Duke's artist Willem Boyen, who served under Gustaf I and Erik XVI.
The general consensus has been that the lion symbol is derived from the crest of the Folkung family, which is included among the royal crests of Sweden. The two swords were taken from the Karelian coat of arms, which was first publicly displayed in 1560 on a flag at the funeral of King Gustaf I of Sweden.
The placement of the curved Russian saber under the lion's paws is undoubtedly a reflection of the political situation at the time. Sweden and Russia were almost constantly at war and the Swedes made use of this propaganda tool to signify that they had their foot on their enemies. The nine roses are decorative, although they have been mistakenly interpreted as referring to the nine historical provinces of Finland. It is worth noting that the number of roses has varied over the centuries.
When Finland gained its independence in 1917, "the arms of the lion" became the coat of arms of the new nation. Before this, it had served as a common symbol for all Swedish territory east of the Gulf of Bothnia, and from 1809 to 1917, as the coat of arms of the Grand Duchy of Finland, a period when the country was under Russian rule.
