Flags of Countries in Europe

This page does not include countries that are members of European Union. To see flags of EU countries, please click here.

Albania

The Albanian flag goes back to the noble Albanian Georg Kastriota, who is also known under the name Skanderbeg . Skanderbeg is considered a national hero because he led uprisings against the Ottoman Empire between 1443 and 1468 , which began to subdue Albanian territories. The flag that was hoisted during these so-called “anti-Turkish” uprisings later became the basis for the current flag. Legend has it that the Albanian people were formed from the descendants of eagles. The golden eagle is the national animal.

Andorra

The flag of Andorra consists of three vertical stripes in blue, yellow and red. The yellow stripe in the middle shows the country’s coat of arms. The Andorran flag has two colors from the French flag and two from the Spanish flag.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

The blue and the stars make the flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina look a bit like the European flag. Bosnia and Herzegovina is an EU candidate country and joining the EU is one of the country’s goals. The yellow triangle stands for the shape of the country, but also for the three major ethnic groups of Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats. The color yellow symbolizes the peace between the ethnic groups and the sun.

United Kingdom

The flag is officially called the Union Flag, but it is mostly called the Union Jack. The English, Scottish and Irish flags overlap in the flag. English is the red cross on a white background, Scottish is the white cross on a blue background, and Irish is the red cross on a white background. In 1800 the countries had merged to form the United Kingdom.

In its original form, however, it was introduced by King James I in 1606. However, it is not known whether this is why she bears the name Jack. The name can also be derived from the fact that it was first used as a bow flag, which is called Jack in English (in German: Gösch).

Ireland

The flag of Ireland is vertically striped in green, white and orange. Green is traditionally the color of the Irish, because it symbolizes the green island. Because the Irish are predominantly Catholics, the green also stands for this denomination, while orange is the color of the few Protestants. The white stands for the peace between the two.

It has only been the official national flag since 1937, but it was already in use in the 19th century. It was modeled on the French tricolor and became a symbol of freedom.

Iceland

The basic color of the Icelandic flag is blue. There is a red cross on it on a white background. It’s extended to the right. All Scandinavian countries carry this “Scandinavian cross” in their flag. Blue stands for the sea and the sky, red for the fire of the volcanoes and white for the ice of the glaciers. It has been used officially since 1915.

Liechtenstein

The red and blue stripes date from the early 19th century when these two colors were chosen. It was only in 1936 that it was discovered that the colors of the flag of Liechtenstein matched that of Haiti . So they built in the nice crown to make the flag unique.

Moldova

Moldova’s flag has vertical stripes in blue, yellow and red. The yellow stripe in the middle shows the country’s coat of arms: an eagle holds a shield with a bull on it. The animals refer to Romania and the former Principality of Moldova. Without the coat of arms, the flag corresponds to that of Romania, which indicates the close ties between the two countries.

Monaco

The national flag of Monaco is marked with a white and a red stripe. These colors are also the colors of the princes of Grimaldi, who have ruled the principality since the 13th century.

Montenegro

The current flag of Montenegro was used in a similar way during the First World War by Montenegro. It was then that Montenegro became independent for the first time. The golden lion is the national symbol of Montenegro and can already be seen in the coat of arms.

North Macedonia

The color of the North Macedonian flag is based on flags that were hoisted during the Macedonian uprisings of 1903. When the country became socialist, the color was retained and the flag with the current pattern was officially adopted in 1946. The yellow sun on the flag stands for the “sun of freedom” mentioned in the Macedonian national anthem.

Norway

The basic color of the Norwegian flag is red. There is a blue cross on it on a white background. This cross is extended to the right, it is the “Scandinavian cross”. All Scandinavian countries have it in their flag. It is a sign of their relationship. The color red with a white cross comes from the time Norway was part of Denmark, the blue cross from the time of the union with Sweden.

Russia

The Russian flag has three horizontal stripes in white, blue and red. Tsar Peter the Great introduced the flag. He chose the colors from the coat of arms of the Principality of Moscow. White stood for freedom, blue for the Mother of God and red for tsarism. The colors are being reinterpreted today: white stands for faith and nobility, blue for hope and honesty, and red for love, courage and bravery.

San Marino

The flag of San Marino consists of two horizontal stripes in white and light blue. White stands for the clouds and snow on Monte Titano, blue stands for the sky. In the middle is the state coat of arms.

Switzerland

In contrast to other flags, the Swiss flag is square. By the way, the Swiss speak of the Swiss flag and not of a flag. The white cross on the red color stands for Christianity, but should also represent neutrality and democracy.

Serbia

The three colors of the Serbian flag, white, blue and red, are the Pan-Slavic colors. You can often find them in the flags of states whose official language is of Slavic origin. Thus the togetherness of these states should be symbolized. The double-headed eagle on the flag dates back to the times of the Serbian kingdom.

Ukraine

The flag of Ukraine consists of a blue and a yellow stripe. The colors represent the ripe cornfields and the sky above. Originally they come from the coat of arms of the Rurikids. Their dynasty ruled over the Kievan Rus from the 9th century. The principality of Halych-Volodymyr, which was ruled by the Rurikids, had these colors in its coat of arms, namely a golden lion on a blue background. During the time of the Ukrainian Soviet Republic, a red flag was used before the blue and yellow national flag was returned with independence in 1990.

Vatican City

The flag of the Vatican City consists of a yellow and white stripe. The tiara with a gold and a white key is depicted on the white stripe. The tiara is the Pope’s crown. The tiara with the keys corresponds to the coat of arms of the Holy See. The colors yellow and white probably stand for the keys of Peter, the keys of the apostle Peter. They should be gold and silver, which is shown in yellow and white for flags. The Pope succeeds Peter.

Belarus

While the flag was white-red-white with independence in 1991, it was changed in 1995 to a flag that again resembles the flag from the Soviet era. It is kept in red and green. Red represents the blood that was shed in defense of the homeland and green represents the nature of the land. On the left edge it bears a traditional Belarusian pattern. However, the opposition partially rejects this flag and uses the old white-red-white flag.