Flag of Iceland

What the flag means

The colours have no meaning in law. They are commonly interpreted as features of the country: red for volcanic fire, white for ice and snow, and blue for the mountains and sea.

History

A white cross on blue was first shown in public in 1897 and was used unofficially after that. A royal decree of King Christian X on 19 June 1915 approved the current design, credited to Matthías Þórðarson. A red cross inside the white one set it apart from similar foreign flags. It became the national flag in 1918, when Iceland gained sovereignty from Denmark. Law No. 34/1944, passed on 17 June 1944, the day Iceland became a republic, defines it today.

The 1944 flag law made disrespect towards the flag punishable by a fine or up to one year in prison.

Flags that look like this one

DenmarkNorwaySwedenFinlandIceland

Denmark: white cross on red. Norway: blue cross with a white border on red. Iceland: red cross with a white border on blue. Sweden: yellow cross on blue. Finland: blue cross on white.