Flag of the Faroe Islands

What the flag of the Faroe Islands looks like

The flag is white with an offset cross in the style of the Nordic countries. The vertical bar of the cross sits closer to the hoist (the side by the pole) than to the fly, which is typical of all Nordic flags. The cross is red and is bordered on both sides by a thin blue band, called a fimbriation. The proportions are 8:11.

The flag is clearly related to the Danish flag, which has a white cross on red, and to the Icelandic flag, which has a red cross edged in white on blue. The Faroese flag is the only one of the three to have a white field.

Faroe Islands flag meaning and symbolism

The cross represents Christianity, as it does on all Nordic flags. The colors are often explained with reference to Faroese nature and Nordic ties: white is commonly linked to sea foam and the bright sky, while red and blue appear in traditional Faroese dress and echo the colors of other Nordic flags. These readings are traditional and not defined by law.

History of the Faroe Islands flag

The modern flag was designed in 1919 by Faroese students studying in Copenhagen, led by Jens Oliver Lisberg and including Janus Øssursson and Paul Dahl. It was first hoisted in the Faroes at Fámjin on 22 June 1919.

That changed in the Second World War. Germany occupied Denmark in April 1940, and British forces occupied the Faroes. Because Faroese vessels needed to be told apart from Danish ships, the British authorities recognized the Merkið for Faroese shipping on 25 April 1940. That day is now celebrated as Flaggdagur (Flag Day).

In 1948 the home-rule settlement formally recognized a special Faroese flag and set rules for its use within Faroese self-government. You can see it on the flag emoji and compare it with other Nordic flags, for example the Danish flag or the Icelandic flag.