The national flag features the shape of the entirety of the island, with twoolive branches below (a symbol of peace between the island's two communities) on white (another symbol of peace).[2] The olive branches signify peace between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots. The map on the flag is a copper-orange colour, symbolising the large deposits ofcopperore on the island, from which itmay have received its name.
The artistİsmet Güney designed the modern flag of Cyprus in 1960.
The flag of the Republic of Cyprus was preceded by the flag ofBritish Cyprus. Upon independence, Cyprus adopted a new flag. Under Article 4 of theconstitution, the flag should be chosen jointly by the President and Vice-President and should "have a neutral design and colour," i.e. it should not include either blue or red colours (the colours of theflag of Greece and theflag of Turkey), nor portray across or acrescent.[3]
The original proposal, made by the former British colonial administration, featured a rust-brown K on a white field. It was rejected by the PresidentMakarios III and Vice-presidentFazil Küçük, who preferred a flag proposed byİsmet Güney, aTurkish Cypriot artist.[1]
In the design of August 1960, the colour of the map is copper (Pantone 144-C). Both the crest and the two olive-tree leaves are olive green (Pantone 336-C). The background is white with the 3:5 ratio. In April 2006 the design was updated, the shape of theolive branches were slightly altered, its color was changed to Pantone 574, the copper color of the map was changed to Pantone 1385 and the ratio was changed to 3:2.[4][5]
Flags produced on Cyprus often differ from the original specifications, both regarding the size of the map and the colours used. The government announced in October 2005, that it would take steps to "start from scratch" and assure that only flags complying with the official specifications would be produced.[6]
Under theconstitution of Cyprus, the flag of Cyprus may be flown by state institutions, public corporations, and citizens of the country.
According to the constitution, the community authorities and their institutions have the right to hoist theGreek flag or theTurkish flag alongside the flag of Cyprus during the holidays. Any citizen may, without any restriction, fly the Greek or Turkish flag, or both, next to the flag of Cyprus.[7] Other provisions also allow municipalities, educational institutions and the National Guard to do so as well. Since the de facto division of the island, consecutive to the1974 invasion, the flag of Greece is the only flag of the two flown in the area under the jurisdiction of the Republic of Cyprus, due to the predominant presence of Greek-Cypriots in that part of the island. Similarly, the flag of Turkey is only observed in the area under the control of theTurkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (recognised only by Turkey).
One of the proposed flags of the United Republic of Cyprus The British colonial administration's rejected proposal for the flag of independent Cyprus (1959).
Under the terms of theAnnan Plan for Cyprus, aUnited Nations proposal to settle theCyprus dispute, a new national flag would have been adopted by a reconstituted confederal republic of Cyprus. A competition was announced and the UN collectedover 1000 proposals until 17 February 2003. Some of the proposals can be found on the webpage "Cyprus seeks new flag" by theBBC. It is possible that any future Cyprus settlement will include the adoption of a new flag.
In areferendum, the plan was accepted by Turkish Cypriots, but rejected by Greek Cypriots, therefore the plan was not put into place.
^"The Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus"(PDF).2. The authorities of the Republic and any public corporation or public utility body created by or under the laws of the Republic shall fly the flag of the Republic and they shall have the right to fly on holidays together with the flag of the Republic both the Greek and the Turkish flags at the same time. 3. The Communal authorities and institutions shall have the right to fly on holidays together with the flag of the Republic either the Greek or the Turkish flag at the same time. 4. Any citizen of the Republic or any body, corporate or unincorporate other than public, whose members are citizens of the Republic, shall have the right to fly on their premises the flag of the Republic or the Greek or the Turkish flag without any restriction.
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