Flag of Sweden
Sweden's flag is blue with a yellow cross that reaches the edges; the upright bar is set toward the pole, as on other Nordic flags.
At a glance
- Adopted
- June 22, 1906the current flag law dates from 1906; the blue flag with a yellow cross is much older and was in use on ships by the 1620s
- Shape (height : width)
- 5:8
- Capital
- Stockholm
- Continent
- Europe
- Colours
- blue
- yellow
What it means
- Cross: Christianity, as on all the Nordic cross flags
- Blue and yellow: taken from the Swedish coat of arms; there is no official meaning beyond that
- Legend: a popular story says King Eric IX saw a golden cross in a blue sky in 1157; this is a legend, not a recorded fact
Where it came from
Nobody knows exactly how old the flag is. Its colours are believed to come from Sweden's coat of arms, which is blue divided by a gold cross, and blue and yellow appear in royal arms as early as 1275. The cross shape was probably taken from Denmark's flag.
A royal warrant of 1562 described the banner as yellow in a cross on blue, and by the 1620s Swedish ships were flying a blue flag with a yellow cross.
History
A law of 1663 set out a triple-tailed version for the navy. From 1844 to 1905, while Sweden and Norway were in a union, a union mark sat in the corner of the flag. Swedes disliked it and called it sillsallaten, the herring salad, after a dish. It was removed on 1 November 1905, and the flag law of 22 June 1906 describes the flag used today.
Fun facts
- Sweden shares its 5:8 shape with only a few other countries, such as Argentina, Guatemala, Palau and Poland.
- The navy and the royal family use a version with three tails.
- The union mark was nicknamed the herring salad in both Sweden and Norway.
- The flag of the US city of Wilmington, Delaware, was modelled on Sweden's flag to remember the old colony of New Sweden.
Easy to mix up with
Finland
Denmark
UkraineQuestions
What does the flag of Sweden look like?
Sweden's flag is blue with a yellow cross that reaches the edges; the upright bar is set toward the pole, as on other Nordic flags.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of Sweden mean?
Cross: Christianity, as on all the Nordic cross flags; Blue and yellow: taken from the Swedish coat of arms; there is no official meaning beyond that; Legend: a popular story says King Eric IX saw a golden cross in a blue sky in 1157; this is a legend, not a recorded fact.
When was the flag of Sweden adopted?
The current flag of Sweden was adopted on June 22, 1906. (the current flag law dates from 1906; the blue flag with a yellow cross is much older and was in use on ships by the 1620s)
What colours are on the flag of Sweden?
The flag of Sweden uses blue and yellow.
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of Sweden?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of Finland. Finland also has a Nordic cross, but it is blue on white
Famous landmarks in Sweden
🎯 Play the flag quiz 🌍 Play the globe
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)