Flag of Bulgaria
The flag of Bulgaria has three equal horizontal stripes: white on top, green in the middle and red at the bottom.
At a glance
- Adopted
- November 27, 1990first adopted on 16 April 1879; the communist emblem was removed in 1990, bringing back the plain tricolour, confirmed by the 1991 constitution
- Shape (height : width)
- 3:5
- Capital
- Sofia
- Continent
- Europe
- Colours
- white
- green
- red
What it means
- White: peace, love and freedom
- Green: the farmland and farming wealth of Bulgaria
- Red: the struggle for independence and the courage of its soldiers
- All three: these are the usual explanations given by flag experts; the law itself does not define a meaning
Where it came from
In the 1860s Bulgarian revolutionaries fighting Ottoman rule already used green, white and red flags. In 1877 a white, green and red banner with a lion and the word "Bulgaria" was given to Bulgarian volunteers fighting alongside Russia in the Russo-Turkish War.
After the war, the new Bulgarian state wrote the plain tricolour into its first constitution on 16 April 1879. One explanation is that it follows the white, blue and red flag of Russia, with green taking the place of blue.
History
From 1947 the communist People's Republic of Bulgaria added a state emblem to the white stripe, near the pole. In 1971 it was redesigned to include the years 681, when the first Bulgarian state was founded, and 1944.
After communism ended, the emblem was taken off in November 1990, and the 1991 constitution kept the simple white, green and red stripes. A 1998 law sets the exact colours and the 3:5 shape.
Fun facts
- Bulgaria's colours were first carried by Bulgarian volunteers in 1877, before Bulgaria was an independent country.
- One of the communist-era flags carried the year 681, the founding of the first Bulgarian state.
- Some people fly an unofficial version with the lion coat of arms, but it has no official status.
- Every year on 6 January, a historic war flag from 1877 is used in a ceremony in Sofia.
Easy to mix up with
Hungary: Hungary uses red, white and green, with red on top and white in the middle
Iran: Iran is green, white and red with an emblem in the centre
Tajikistan: Tajikistan is red, white and green with a gold crown in the middle
Questions
What does the flag of Bulgaria look like?
The flag of Bulgaria has three equal horizontal stripes: white on top, green in the middle and red at the bottom.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of Bulgaria mean?
White: peace, love and freedom; Green: the farmland and farming wealth of Bulgaria; Red: the struggle for independence and the courage of its soldiers; All three: these are the usual explanations given by flag experts; the law itself does not define a meaning.
When was the flag of Bulgaria adopted?
The current flag of Bulgaria was adopted on November 27, 1990. (first adopted on 16 April 1879; the communist emblem was removed in 1990, bringing back the plain tricolour, confirmed by the 1991 constitution)
What colours are on the flag of Bulgaria?
The flag of Bulgaria uses white, green and red.
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of Bulgaria?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of Hungary. Hungary uses red, white and green, with red on top and white in the middle
Famous landmarks in Bulgaria
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Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- britannica.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)