The original flag now hangs in the church ofFámjin
Theflag of the Faroe Islands (Merkið,pronounced[ˈmɛʃtʃɪ]; lit. "the banner") is aNordic cross on a white field, with a red cross fimbriated in blue. It is part of the Nordic cross tradition and is commonly interpreted as aChristian symbol.[1]
The design was created in 1919 by Faroese students in Copenhagen led byJens Oliver Lisberg, and was first hoisted in theFaroe Islands atFámjin on 22 June 1919.[2] During theBritish occupation of the Faroe Islands in World War II, theBritish authorities recognisedMerkið for use by Faroese vessels on 25 April 1940; the date is observed asFlaggdagur (Flag Day).[3] The flag is recognised in the Faroe Islands’ 1948 home-rule settlement, which provides that “a special Faroese flag is recognised”.[4]
Merkið is a whiteNordic cross flag with a red cross outlined in blue. The cross is offset toward thehoist, in the manner typical of Nordic cross flags. The flag’s construction follows the proportional pattern 6:1:2:1:12 horizontally and 6:1:2:1:6 vertically (the same construction used for theflag of Norway).[5][6]
The flag’sproportions are set at 8:11 in the Faroese Flag Act, though 5:7 is also commonly encountered in practice.[7][8]
The colours are often explained with reference to Faroese nature andNordic ties: white is commonly associated withsea foam and the bright sky, while red and blue appear in traditional Faroese dress and echo the colour schemes of other Nordic flags.[9][10]
The Faroese Flag Act specifies the cross colours asPantone Matching System shades (red PMS 032 and blue PMS 300).[11] Norden also publishes commonly used digital equivalents.[12]
The flag was designed in 1919 by Faroese students inCopenhagen (includingJens Oliver Lisberg,Janus Øssursson andPaul Dahl) and first raised in the Faroe Islands atFámjin on 22 June 1919.[15] AfterDenmark was occupied byGermany in 1940, theBritish authorities in the Faroe Islands recognisedMerkið for Faroese shipping on 25 April 1940, to distinguish Faroese vessels from Danish ships.[16] In 1948, thehome-rule settlement formally recognised a special Faroese flag and placed rules on its use within Faroeseself-government.[17]
Theflag of Denmark, was used before the Faroese flag became official.
![The old flag.[when?]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3a19th_century_Faroese_flag.svg)
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