Flag of Croatia
Trobojnica ("the tricolour")
Croatia's flag has three horizontal stripes, red, white and blue, with the Croatian coat of arms, a red and white checkerboard shield under a crown of five small shields, in the middle.
At a glance
- Adopted
- December 21, 1990the red-white-blue tricolour has been used since 1848; the coat of arms replaced a communist red star in 1990
- Shape (height : width)
- 1:2
- Capital
- Zagreb
- Continent
- Europe
- Colours
- red
- white
- blue
What it means
- Red, white and blue: the colours of the historic lands of Croatia, Dalmatia and Slavonia; there is no single official meaning
- Checkerboard shield: the historic coat of arms of Croatia, with 25 red and white squares
- Crown of five shields: the historic regions: Central Croatia, Dubrovnik, Dalmatia, Istria and Slavonia
Where it came from
The tricolour was first used officially in 1848 under Ban Josip Jelacic, the governor of Croatia at the time. The colours come from the old coats of arms of Croatia (red and white checks), and of Dalmatia and Slavonia (both with blue).
The present design with the coat of arms was created in 1990 by the Croatian painter and graphic designer Miroslav Sutej.
History
In 1939 the Banovina of Croatia, part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, used a similar tricolour with the checkerboard shield. When Croatia was part of communist Yugoslavia, the flag had a red star with a yellow border in the middle.
After the first free multi-party elections in 1990, the coat of arms replaced the star, and the flag was set by law on 21 December 1990. Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia in June 1991.
Fun facts
- The red and white checkerboard is called sahovnica, from the Croatian word for chess.
- The checkerboard on the flag has exactly 25 squares.
- Croatian Flag Day, 5 June, remembers the first use of the tricolour in 1848.
Easy to mix up with
Netherlands: the Netherlands has the same red-white-blue stripes, but no coat of arms
Paraguay: Paraguay has red-white-blue stripes with a round emblem in the middle
Slovakia: Slovakia has white-blue-red stripes with a red shield and a white double cross
Questions
What does the flag of Croatia look like?
Croatia's flag has three horizontal stripes, red, white and blue, with the Croatian coat of arms, a red and white checkerboard shield under a crown of five small shields, in the middle.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of Croatia mean?
Red, white and blue: the colours of the historic lands of Croatia, Dalmatia and Slavonia; there is no single official meaning; Checkerboard shield: the historic coat of arms of Croatia, with 25 red and white squares; Crown of five shields: the historic regions: Central Croatia, Dubrovnik, Dalmatia, Istria and Slavonia.
When was the flag of Croatia adopted?
The current flag of Croatia was adopted on December 21, 1990. (the red-white-blue tricolour has been used since 1848; the coat of arms replaced a communist red star in 1990)
What colours are on the flag of Croatia?
The flag of Croatia uses red, white and blue.
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of Croatia?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of Netherlands. the Netherlands has the same red-white-blue stripes, but no coat of arms
Famous landmarks in Croatia
🎯 Play the flag quiz 🌍 Play the globe
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)