Flag of Åland

What the flag of Åland looks like

The Åland flag is a blue rectangle with a Nordic cross: a red cross with a yellow border. The vertical bar of the cross is set toward the hoist, and both arms stretch to the edges. The proportions are 17:26.

The flag is easy to separate from its neighbors. The Swedish flag is blue with a plain yellow cross, and the Finnish flag is white with a blue cross. The Åland flag has both Swedish colors and a red cross on top. The Åland flag emoji shows the same layout.

Åland flag meaning and symbolism

The blue and yellow reflect the islands' cultural and historical ties to Sweden, and the language there is still Swedish. The red cross stands for Finland, which holds sovereignty over the islands, so the flag can be read as the Swedish flag with a red cross added. The yellow edge around the cross is called a fimbriation.

History of the Åland flag

Åland was part of Sweden until 1809, when it passed to Russia with the rest of Finland. After Finland became independent in 1917, most islanders wanted to be reunited with Sweden. The dispute was settled by the League of Nations in 1921: the islands stayed Finnish but received guaranteed autonomy, with Swedish as the official language. The islands had already been demilitarized since 1856, and that status was confirmed.

During the early 1920s the islands unofficially used a blue and yellow tricolor, which Finland banned in 1935. Legislation in 1952 gave Åland the right to have its own flag. A first proposal resembling the Swedish flag with a blue cross was rejected by President Paasikivi, and the final design with the red cross was adopted in 1954. It was first hoisted in Mariehamn on 3 April 1954, and the last Sunday of April is observed as flag day. Åland also has its own parliament and stamps, and celebrates Autonomy Day on 9 June.