Flag of Moldova

What the flag means

The tricolour is based on the flag of Romania, and no law gives the colours a meaning. On the coat of arms an eagle holds an Orthodox cross in its beak and an olive branch and a sceptre in its claws. Its shield, red above blue, has an aurochs head with a star between the horns, a rose and a crescent.

History

The Supreme Soviet of the Moldavian SSR adopted the blue, yellow and red tricolour on 27 April 1990. It was flown plain until November 1990, when the coat of arms was added to the yellow band. The design is credited to Gheorghe Vrabie. Law no. 217 of 17 September 2010 on the State Flag, in force from 26 November 2010, set exact shades and made the reverse a mirror image of the front.

Moldova has marked Flag Day on 27 April since 2010, the anniversary of the tricolour's adoption in 1990.

Earlier flags of Moldova

1. April–November 1990Plain blue, yellow and red tricolour without the coat of arms

Flags that look like this one

ChadRomaniaAndorraMoldova

Chad and Romania are near-identical blue, yellow and red vertical tricolours; Chad's blue is a darker indigo. Andorra and Moldova use the same colours but add a coat of arms in the centre.

Flags of Moldova's neighbours

• Romania
• Ukraine