Finland Flag

How to identify it

A thick blue cross on a white field. The white background distinguishes Finland from the other Nordic-cross flags.

Design and construction

Adoption and legal status

Finland adopted its blue cross flag in 1918; the current Flag Act dates from 1978.

History of the design

The law constructs the flag on an 11 by 18 unit grid with a cross three units wide. The familiar lakes-and-snow explanation is literary, not statutory.

Similar flags

Compare the details that separate these designs.

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  Sweden

  Sweden uses a yellow cross on blue; Finland uses a blue cross on white.

Sources