COUNTRYSpec

The flag of Åland

Ålands flagga · since 1954

Back to ÅlandNorthern Europe

A red Nordic cross fimbriated in yellow on a medium blue field: the pattern of the Swedish flag with a red cross added for Finland. The autonomy law of 1952 gave Åland the right to a flag, and the version with a blue cross inside the yellow was rejected as too close to Sweden's before this one was adopted in 1953.

Flag of Åland
Åland, 17:26. flagcdn.com, public domain.

At a glance

Adopted
1953
9 December 1953
Proportion
17:26
height to length
First hoisted
1954
3 April 1954, mariehamn
Colours
medium blue, golden yellow, red
Earlier flags
1
since 1922

The colours

The colours of the flag of Åland, in the order it has them

  1. 01

    Medium blue

    mellanblå

    The field

    HEX
    #0064AD
    RGB
    0 100 173
    CMYK
    100 54 2 0
    Pantone
    2945 C
  2. 02

    Golden yellow

    gul

    The outer cross

    HEX
    #FFD300
    RGB
    255 211 0
    CMYK
    0 16 100 0
    Pantone
    116 C
  3. 03

    Red

    röd

    The inner cross

    HEX
    #DA0E15
    RGB
    218 14 21
    CMYK
    6 100 100 0
    Pantone
    186 C

No law gives these codes. HEX and RGB are the colour this site draws the flag in; CMYK, Pantone and RAL are the values most often published for it.

Construction

How the flag is drawn

A medium blue field with a golden yellow Nordic cross, its vertical arm towards the hoist, and a narrower red cross inside the yellow one.

Height
6 + 1.5 + 2 + 1.5 + 6: blue, yellow, red, yellow, blue
Length
8 + 1.5 + 2 + 1.5 + 13: blue, yellow, red, yellow, blue
Colour tolerance
±5 NCS units for hue and chromaticity

Meaning

What each part stands for

Blue and yellow
The colours of Sweden, and of Åland's own arms, a golden deer on blue
Red cross
Finland

History

How the flag of Åland got here

1922
The blue-yellow-blue triband

The blue-yellow-blue triband

1922 → 1935

Used unofficially while Ålanders campaigned for reunion with Sweden after Finnish independence. Several versions existed, most with equal bands, and the Finnish authorities banned it in 1935.

1953
The cross flag

The cross flagIn use

9 Dec 1953 → today

The favoured design, the Swedish flag with a blue cross inside the yellow one, was rejected by the President of Finland as too similar to Sweden's. The Åland parliament adopted the red cross instead, the President approved it in 1954, and Åland's Flag Day was first held on 24 April 1954.

The law

What defines it, and who flies it

1952

Act on the Autonomy of Åland

Gave Åland the right to adopt its own flag.

3 August 1992

Landskapslag (1992:41) om Ålands flagga

Approved by the President of Finland on 3 August 1992 and in force from 1 January 1993. Sets the proportions, names the colours medium blue, golden yellow and red, makes the flag a civil and state ensign, and sets the flag days.

8 April 2004

Landskapsförordning (2004:15) om riktlinjer för Ålands flaggas färger

Specifies the colours in NCS, with a tolerance of ±5 units, and gives Pantone and CMYK as approximate equivalents.

In use

  • Civil and state flag, and civil and state ensign; vessels operated by the government of Åland must fly it

  • For private vessels it is an optional alternative to the Finnish civil ensign, since 1 January 1993

  • Flag days are 30 March for the demilitarisation and neutralisation of Åland, the last Sunday of April for Åland's Flag Day, and 9 June for Autonomy Day

  • The flag law carries a provision against misuse of the flag

Related flags

The flags it is confused with or comes from

Sweden
The same blue field and yellow cross, with a red cross added. Rejected proposals kept even closer to it.
Finland
Åland is an autonomous region of Finland, and the red cross stands for it.

Coat of arms

The arms of Åland

The coat of arms of Åland
The arms of Åland. Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.