History and meaning of the flag:

The flag of Greece is a rectangular panel with horizontal equal-sized alternating five blue and four white stripes. In the roof there is an image of a straight (Greek) white cross. The width of the flag is related to its length as 2:3. The modern flag was adopted on December 27, 1978.

In colloquial Greek because of colors it is often referred to as "κυανόλευκη" ([kiano lefki]) or "γαλανόλευκη" ([galano lefki]), meaning "blue-white".

Symbolism and origin of flowers

There is no official interpretation of the colors of the Greek national flag. According to one of the most common interpretations, Blue colour symbolizes the sea and / or sky, white - sea foam. According to another interpretation, 9 stripes symbolize 9 syllables of the Greek national motto "Ελευθερία ή θάνατος" ("Freedom or Death", E-lef-te-ri-ya and Ta-na-tos) and / or 9 letters in the word "Ελευθερία" ("Liberty"). There is also a version that the stripes symbolize 9 muses - the goddesses of art and science.

The combination of white and blue flowers was used in antiquity. According to Greek researchers, for the first time a combination of these colors was applied on a shield. ancient Greek hero Achilles. The army of Alexander the Great marched under blue and white banners. During the Byzantine Empire, white and blue were used on coats of arms. imperial dynasties, noble families, as well as in the vestments of the emperor and the throne of the Patriarch of Constantinople.

Brief information about the country

Greece (Greek Ελλάδα, Elláda), official name- The Hellenic Republic (Greek Ελληνική Δημοκρατία, Ellīnikī́ Dīmokratía) - a state in Southern Europe. The population, according to estimates for 2010, is more than 11.3 million people, the territory is 131,957 km². It occupies the seventy-third place in the world in terms of population and ninety-fifth in terms of territory.

The capital is the city of Athens. Official language- Greek.

Unitary state, parliamentary republic. In March 2015, Prokopis Pavlopoulos assumed the presidency. It is divided into 13 regions.

Located on the Balkan Peninsula and numerous islands. It is washed by the Aegean (including the Icarian Sea) and the Thracian Seas in the east, the Ionian Sea in the west, and the Mediterranean and Cretan Seas in the south. It has a land border with Albania, the Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria, in the northeast and east - with Turkey.

About 98% of the population is Orthodox. Modern Greece - the heiress of culture Ancient Greece considered the cradle of Western civilization, the birthplace of democracy and Western philosophy, the basic principles of physical and mathematical sciences, theater and modern Olympic Games. rich cultural heritage And geographical position make Greece one of the most visited countries in the world.

An industrial-agrarian country with a dynamically developing economy. The volume of GDP at purchasing power parity for 2011 amounted to 294.339 billion US dollars (about 24,543 US dollars per capita). Currency unit- Euro.

The independence of the country was proclaimed on March 25, 1821. Prior to that, it was part of the Ottoman Caliphate.

Video about the country Greece



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The flag of Greece is a rectangular panel with 9 horizontal stripes of dark blue and white flowers, as well as a white cross on a dark blue field at the top of the flag near the hoist. The flag was officially adopted in 1978. An interesting fact is that the legislation does not spell out what shade the blue color should be. Therefore, shades from blue to dark blue are used. Symbolism of the number 9. It is believed that the number 9 is associated with the phrase "Ελευθερία ή θάνατος", which means "Freedom or death". The number of syllables is 9. Also, 9 means 9 muses, goddesses of art and science. The aspect ratio of the flag is 2:3.

Historical flags of Greece

Flag of the Byzantine Empire (circa 15th century)

This flag belongs to military flags. Used as a military standard.

This flag was used by Greek nationalist patriots who participated in the uprisings against the Ottoman Empire. The flag was a white cloth with a blue St. George's cross.

Flag of Greece proposed by Fereos Rigas (1797)

Phereos was a Greek revolutionary poet.

Fereos Rigas was executed in 1797 in the Belgrade fortress

The territory (protectorate) of Turkey, which had broad autonomy, was previously under the rule of France, was captured by the combined forces Russian Empire and Turkey.

Flag of the "Eteria" society (early 19th century)

The members of "Eteria" were young Greek patriots in Greece, then part of the Ottoman Empire, as well as Greek merchants who lived in the Russian Empire (directly - Odessa).

Flag of the Sacred Corps of 1821

The Sacred Corps was the first paramilitary unit that became the backbone of Greece. They fought against the Ottoman Empire.

He was a Greek admiral who fought in the War of Independence.

He was in the army of the Russian Empire in the rank of major general, commander of the 1st hussar brigade. Is national hero Greece. Participated in the struggle for the independence of Greece in 1820.

The flag raised by Andreas Londos at the start of the Greek Revolution of 1821

Andreas Londos was a member of the Revolutionary Achaean Directorate, colonel, minister, landowner, patriot.

Allied with Greece after the Balkan Wars.

Flag of Free Ikaria 1912

In 1912, the inhabitants of the island of Icarus revolted and drove out the Turkish garrison. After that, the island formed its own government, which was independent for 5 months. After it was decided to become part of Greece.

The national flag of Greece from 1822 to December 22, 1978

The flag had a proportion of 7:10.

The flag had proportions of 18:25.

The flag had proportions of 2:3.

The flag had proportions of 2:3.

Flag proportions - 2:3

Description of the Greek flag:

The Greek flag consists of blue and white horizontal stripes of the same width, alternating with each other. In the upper left corner of the flag is white cross on a blue background.

Meaning of the Greek flag:

The nine stripes symbolize the nine syllables of the national motto: the meaning is "Freedom or Death". But there is another theory, it claims that the stripes symbolize the nine muses, goddesses of art and civilization. The blue and white colors symbolize the Greek sea and sky combined with white clouds and white foam waves. The white color also represents purity, the fight for independence and freedom. The cross symbolizes Greek Orthodoxy, which is national religion countries.

History of the Greek flag:

The flag was officially adopted on December 22, 1978. The history of the flag dates back to the 19th century, to the Greek war-revolution against the Ottoman Turks. In 1822, for the first time, a flag with nine stripes and a cross in the upper left corner was adopted in Greece. March 25, 1821 declared independence from Ottoman Empire.

For many years the Greek flag was striped with a cross in the upper left corner. However, the shade of blue changed several times.

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Description of the flag of Greece

The flag of Greece consists of nine horizontal alternating stripes of white and blue, with stripes of blue at the top and bottom of the flag.

In the roof (upper left quarter of the flag) there is a white cross on a blue background. The nine stripes of the Greek flag represent the number of syllables that make up the Greek proverb "Ελευθερία ή θάνατος" (read as "E-lef-te-ri-ya and Ta-na-tos", translated as "Freedom or Death"), as well as nine letters in the Greek word "Ελευθερία" ("Freedom"). According to another version, the nine stripes symbolize the nine traditional Greek muses.

The blue-and-white cross in the roof stands for the religion of Greece, Orthodox Christianity. The exact shade of blue used in the Greek flag has changed several times, but Lately the flag is characterized by a darker blue tint.

blue and white colors long associated in Greece, they symbolize the sky and the sea, and the cultural heritage of the nation. Colors used to mean Greek gods and goddesses such as Achilles and Athena. They may also have been used during Byzantine and Ottoman rule.

History of the flag of Greece

The blue and white stripes and the cross began to be used in the flag of Greece as early as 1822, when they were on the country's maritime ensign. This banner has been used as the coat of arms of Greece since 1828, along with the national flag, which at that time depicted only a blue and white cross. In the following decades, several designs of the flag changed.

Some rulers added their coat of arms or crown to the flag. The current flag of Greece was adopted as the national flag in 1978.

Flag of Greece

On the flag of Greece:

Nine horizontal stripes of equal thickness in blue and white

White cross in a blue square in the upper left corner of the flag

The meaning and history of the flag of Greece:

First adopted March 27, 1822.
In colloquial Greek, due to its color scheme, it is often referred to as "κυανόλευκη" [kiano lefki] or "γαλανόλευκη" [galano lefki], meaning "blue-white".

Some think the stripes mean blue sky or the sea (5 blue stripes according to the number of oceans) connected with white clouds or waves. Others believe that they symbolize the 9 syllables of the phrase "Ελευθερία ή θάνατος" ("Freedom or Death", E-lef-te-ri-ya and Ta-na-tos), as folk legends say. There is also a version that the stripes symbolize 9 muses, goddesses of art and science.

For the first time the flag of Greece was established after the coronation of King Otto and was a straight white cross on a blue panel.

This design of the flag was reminiscent of the flag of Denmark, where Otto was from. The flag survived after the overthrow of Otto.

The flag of the original form is still used in the army. Before the flag became a modern political symbol, it was used and continues to be used for many decades. navy Greece.

Greece flag colors:

blue White

Free coloring pages Flag of Greece. Print coloring pages for free and download coloring pages online.

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What does it look like greece flag: this is a rectangular panel with an aspect ratio of 2:3 (height to length), with nine stripes of blue and white colors of the same width placed on it in turn, with 5 blue stripes and 4 white stripes, respectively. In the upper quarter of the flag adjacent to the flagpole depicts a white equilateral cross on a blue background. In this form, the flag was adopted in 1978 (December 27). No authentic version, which means flag . It is believed that the blue color symbolizes the sea loved by the Greeks, and white - the sea foam. The number of stripes is equal to the number of syllables in the Greek motto:

«Ελευθερία ή θάνατος»

"Ε-λευ-θε-ρί-α ή θά-να-τος", which translates as "Freedom or Death".

The colors of the flag of Greece - a combination of white and blue are historically close to the Greeks, because they are found in antiquity - even on the banners of Alexander the Great.


State flag of Greece

Rules for using the national flag of Greece

The first principles of the rules for the use and configuration of the national flag were approved by decree of the king on September 26, 1867. Now its use is regulated by law No. 851, according to which it is allowed to use state flag on land and at sea, over state and municipal institutions. Citizens can use the flag on certain days, which are approved by the Ministry of the Interior. As a rule, these are national holidays, memorable dates, sports or mourning events.

The flag must be used with a pole, with the cross on the left. It cannot be used as a logo or for commercial purposes. It is also prohibited to place texts or images on the flag.

History of the national flag of Greece

Antiquity and the Byzantine Empire

In ancient Greece, there was no national flag, as well as such a concept. Various flags were used in the fleet by sailors solely to give the appropriate signals. To indicate belonging to a policy, emblems or certain symbols were used, as a rule. Flags, or rather standards (vexillums), were brought to the territory of Hellas by the Romans with their army.

In the era Byzantine Empire flags began to be used as a sign of military distinction. It is known that the Byzantine emperor Constantine the Great introduced and used the standard - labarum with the monogram of Jesus Christ at the end of the shaft and the inscription on the cloth:

which, translated from Latin, meant “Sim conquer” (“Thus conquer”).

The first state flag of Byzantium appeared in the 14th century. It was a panel in the shape of a square, divided into 4 equal parts. In two squares located diagonally to each other there was a red St. George's cross, and in the other two - an image of the flag of the last dynasty of Byzantium - the Palaiologos.

Period of Ottoman occupation

During the Ottoman rule, Greek sipahs (warriors) had the opportunity to use their Christian symbols - on the flag there was a cross and George the Victorious killing a dragon. Greek merchant ships used flags with a longitudinal tricolor: red-blue-red. Red is the color of the Ottoman Empire, and blue is the color of the Greeks.


During the uprising that began on the island of Peloponnese, a the new kind banner - a rectangular white cloth with a blue St. George's cross, which was blessed by Bishop Herman. The entire liberation movement passed under this flag, and it remained a symbol of the struggle for the freedom of the Greeks.

In 1822, by decree of the provisional government, the flag was approved as the state flag - a symbol of the revolution - white with the St. George's blue cross. In 1832, in connection with the transition to new form state administration - the monarchy - the flag was changed. A shield and a crown were placed in the center of the cross. Then the shield and the crown were removed from the flag, in connection with the abdication of the monarch, and returned again, in connection with the restoration of the monarchy.

In 1928, a version of the flag was adopted, which will be used only abroad - this is a flag with nine alternating blue and white stripes and a cross in the upper quarter of the cloth (i.e., an analogue of the modern one).

When in Greece in 1967 there was a military coup of the "black colonels" and the junta came to power, the flag changed again - the crown and shield were removed forever.

In 1969, the flag that was adopted to represent the country outside its borders (with nine blue and white stripes and a cross) became the state flag.

After the overthrow of the junta of black colonels in 1974, a blue flag with a white George Cross was used as the state flag.

It was only in 1978 that a blue-white flag with longitudinal stripes and a cross was adopted, which is still used as the state flag.