Flag of Russia
Russia's flag has three sideways stripes of equal size: white on top, blue in the middle and red at the bottom.
At a glance
- Adopted
- December 11, 1993the white-blue-red tricolour dates from the 1690s; it returned in August 1991, a 1993 decree set the current 2:3 shape, and a law of 25 December 2000 confirmed it
- Shape (height : width)
- 2:3
- Capital
- Moscow
- Continent
- Europe and Asia
- Colours
- white
- blue
- red
What it means
- White, blue and red: there is no official meaning today; under Alexander III white was said to stand for nobility and frankness, blue for faithfulness and honesty, and red for courage and generosity
- Other popular ideas: some link the colours to God, the tsar and the people, or to Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians; Flags of the World says these were invented long after the flag was adopted
Where it came from
The tricolour is linked to Tsar Peter the Great. A version was used at sea from 1693, and in 1705 he made it the flag of merchant ships. Its striped shape was probably influenced by the Dutch flag, while white, blue and red were already traditional colours in Russia. The popular story that Peter copied it during his 1697 trip to the Netherlands is probably a myth.
History
In 1858 Alexander II made a black, yellow and white flag the national flag, but Nicholas II brought back the white-blue-red tricolour in 1896. After the revolution of 1917 the Bolsheviks banned it, and the Soviet era used red flags.
The tricolour returned in August 1991, after a failed coup against Mikhail Gorbachev. A 1993 decree changed its shape from 1:2 to 2:3, and a law of 2000 confirmed it as the national flag.
Fun facts
- Russia celebrates National Flag Day on 22 August, the day the tricolour returned in 1991.
- For almost 40 years in the 1800s, Russia's national flag was black, yellow and white.
- When it came back in 1991, the flag was longer, 1:2, before changing to 2:3.
- Slovakia, Slovenia and Serbia all have flags in the same three colours.
Easy to mix up with
Slovenia
Slovakia
SerbiaQuestions
What does the flag of Russia look like?
Russia's flag has three sideways stripes of equal size: white on top, blue in the middle and red at the bottom.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of Russia mean?
White, blue and red: there is no official meaning today; under Alexander III white was said to stand for nobility and frankness, blue for faithfulness and honesty, and red for courage and generosity; Other popular ideas: some link the colours to God, the tsar and the people, or to Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians; Flags of the World says these were invented long after the flag was adopted.
When was the flag of Russia adopted?
The current flag of Russia was adopted on December 11, 1993. (the white-blue-red tricolour dates from the 1690s; it returned in August 1991, a 1993 decree set the current 2:3 shape, and a law of 25 December 2000 confirmed it)
What colours are on the flag of Russia?
The flag of Russia uses white, blue and red.
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of Russia?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of Slovenia. Slovenia has the same stripes but adds a coat of arms with a mountain near the pole
Famous landmarks in Russia
🎯 Play the flag quiz 🌍 Play the globe
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)