Northern Europe
Finland
A white flag with a blue Nordic cross extending to the edges, the vertical arm shifted toward the hoist. It was adopted shortly after Finland declared independence from Russia in 1917.
All flagsEurope
Adopted
1918
Proportion
11:18
Colours
2
Colours & their meaning
#FFFFFF
White
Commonly said to represent the country’s snow.
#003580
Blue
Commonly said to represent Finland’s thousands of lakes and the sky.
Symbols & emblems
Nordic cross
The cross places Finland within the Nordic flag tradition and reflects the country’s historic Christian heritage.
Did you know?
Before independence, several quite different flag proposals were discussed, including a red-and-yellow lion banner based on the Finnish coat of arms.