Flag of Latvia
A dark carmine red flag with a narrow white horizontal stripe across the middle.
At a glance
- Adopted
- February 27, 1990first made official on 15 June 1921; banned under Soviet rule and restored on 27 February 1990
- Shape (height : width)
- 1:2
- Capital
- Riga
- Continent
- Europe
- Colours
- carmine red ("Latvian red")
- white
What it means
- Legend: a wounded Latvian chieftain was wrapped in a white sheet; his blood stained it red except for the middle stripe where he lay; this is a legend, not history
- Red: often said to show readiness to give blood for freedom
- White: no fixed official meaning; in the legend it is the clean part of the sheet
Where it came from
A red flag with a white stripe is mentioned in the Rhymed Chronicle of Livonia, describing a battle around 1279. That makes it one of the oldest recorded flags in the world.
The modern design was made by the artist Ansis Cirulis and accepted in May 1917. The stripes are in the proportion 2:1:2, so the white stripe is half as tall as each red one.
History
Latvia's Constitutional Assembly made the flag official on 15 June 1921. When the Soviet Union occupied Latvia (1940-1941 and 1944-1991), the flag was suppressed.
During the Singing Revolution of the late 1980s, Latvians brought the flag back, and it was restored on 27 February 1990. The exact shade of red has been set several times, most recently in a 2018 rule.
Fun facts
- The red is a special dark shade often called "Latvian red", with a touch of brown and purple.
- A record from around 1279 already mentions this red and white flag.
- An early flag sewn in 1916 by Marianna Strautmane had a yellow sun in the corner; it is now shown at Cesis Castle.
Easy to mix up with
Austria
LebanonQuestions
What does the flag of Latvia look like?
A dark carmine red flag with a narrow white horizontal stripe across the middle.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of Latvia mean?
Legend: a wounded Latvian chieftain was wrapped in a white sheet; his blood stained it red except for the middle stripe where he lay; this is a legend, not history; Red: often said to show readiness to give blood for freedom; White: no fixed official meaning; in the legend it is the clean part of the sheet.
When was the flag of Latvia adopted?
The current flag of Latvia was adopted on February 27, 1990. (first made official on 15 June 1921; banned under Soviet rule and restored on 27 February 1990)
What colours are on the flag of Latvia?
The flag of Latvia uses carmine red ("Latvian red") and white.
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of Latvia?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of Austria. Austria is a brighter red, and its three stripes are equal in height
Famous landmarks in Latvia
🎯 Play the flag quiz 🌍 Play the globe
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)