 | |
| Use | Civil andstate flag,civil andstate ensign    |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 17:26 |
| Adopted | 1954 |
| Design | A yellow-fimbriated red Nordic cross on a blue field |
Theflag of Åland (Swedish:Ålands flagga;Finnish:Ahvenanmaan lippu) is a yellow or goldNordic cross with another red cross inside on a blue background with the vertical bar shifted towards the hoist side.[1] It is intended to resemble theSwedish flagdefaced by a red cross symbolizingFinland.[2] The flag was officially adopted as the flag ofÅland in 1954 and first hoisted inMariehamn on 3 April 1954.[3] Prior toautonomy, an unofficial horizontal bicolourtriband of blue-yellow-blue was in use until it was made illegal in 1935.[4]
When Finland obtained independence from Russia in 1917, many Ålanders feared they would lose theirSwedish culture andlanguage which led to the native population starting a movement to unite withSweden. This led to Finland, Sweden, and Russia appealing to theLeague of Nations, who decided in favour of Ålanderautonomy. Starting in the early 1920s, Åland unofficially used a blue and yellowtricolour flag until it was banned in 1935 by the Finnish government. In 1952, new laws gave Åland the right to make its own flag and a proposed flag resembling the Swedish flag with a blue cross inside was rejected by thepresident. The final design ended up being the first proposed model with a red cross inside to represent Finland.[5]
| Colour model | Blue | Yellow | Red |
|---|---|---|---|
| RGB | 0-100-174 | 255-211-0 | 219-15-22 |
| HEX | #0064AD | #FFD300 | #DA0E15 |
| CMYK | 100-54-2-0 | 0-16-100-0 | 6-100-100-0 |
| Pantone | 2945C / 300U | 116C / 109U | 186C / 185U |
The unofficial flag from 1921 to 1954.svg)
Original proposed flag of Åland
