Europe · MD / MDA
Flag of Moldova
The Moldova flag is a vertical tricolor of blue, yellow and red with the national coat of arms on the yellow band. The eagle on the arms is holding a cross, and the shield on its chest carries an aurochs head. The colors match Romania's flag.
What the flag of Moldova looks like
The flag of Moldova has three vertical bands of equal width: blue at the hoist, yellow in the middle and red at the fly. The width-to-height ratio is 2:1. The reverse side is a mirror image of the front.
The national coat of arms is placed in the center of the yellow band. It shows a dark golden eagle holding an Orthodox Christian cross in its beak and an olive branch, a symbol of peace. On the eagle's chest is a blue and red shield showing the head of an aurochs (a wild ox) in gold, with a star between its horns, a rose on one side and a crescent on the other.
The emblem is what separates the flag from its closest relative, the flag of Romania, which has the same colors but no arms.
Moldova flag colors
Color codes measured from the official design. Use HEX for the web and CMYK for print.
HEX
#CC092FRGB
204, 9, 47CMYK
0, 96, 77, 20HEX
#0046AERGB
0, 70, 174CMYK
100, 60, 0, 32HEX
#FFD200RGB
255, 210, 0CMYK
0, 18, 100, 0Moldova flag meaning and symbolism
The blue-yellow-red tricolor is based on the flag of Romania and reflects the national and cultural affinity of the two countries. When the flag was created in 1990, it was decided to avoid the ultramarine blue of the Romanian flag in favor of an emerald-blue, used in the mural paintings of VoroneÈ› monastery, so that the flag would stand apart from the many similar tricolors. A 2010 law defines the colors as Berlin blue, chrome yellow and vermillion red.
The aurochs head is derived from the flag and coat of arms of Moldavia, and it appears on the flags of the Moldavian Democratic Republic. The aurochs, rose, crescent and star are the traditional symbols of Moldova. Like the Romanian coat of arms, the Moldovan arms (adopted in 1990) feature an eagle holding a cross in its beak, but instead of a sword the eagle holds an olive branch, symbolising peace.
History of the Moldovan flag
In the middle ages the Principality of Moldavia used banners with the aurochs head. After the territory between the Prut and Dniester rivers, known as Bessarabia, was taken by the Russian Empire in 1812, it flew Russian flags. It became part of Romania in 1918, and Romanian tricolors were used in the interwar years.
In 1940 the Soviet Union annexed the region and created the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic. Its flag was red with a hammer and sickle and a green horizontal stripe. As the Soviet Union weakened, the blue, yellow and red tricolor was officially adopted as the state flag by the Supreme Soviet of the Moldavian SSR on 27 April 1990, before independence was declared on 27 August 1991. The version with the coat of arms is the one in use today. Until 2010 the reverse side differed from the front, with a lighter blue and officially no coat of arms.
A new law on the State Flag took effect on 26 November 2010; among other provisions, it defined the reverse as a mirror image of the front and named the colors. Since April 2010, Flag Day has been celebrated on 27 April, the anniversary of the 1990 adoption.
Moldova flag vs the flags of Romania, Andorra and Chad
Romania, Andorra and Chad all use vertical bands of blue, yellow and red. Romania's flag is a plain tricolor with a 2:3 ratio. Andorra's flag also has a coat of arms in the center, but a different one. Chad's flag has a darker indigo blue and no emblem. Moldova's flag can be told apart by the eagle emblem. The simplest way to see the difference is to compare them in the flags of the world list.
Moldova flag facts
| Country | Moldova |
|---|---|
| Flag adopted | April 27, 1990 |
| Proportions | 1:2 |
| Colors | #CC092F, #0046AE, #FFD200 |
| Symbols | coat of arms of Moldova |
| Flag emoji | 🇲🇩 |
| Country code | MD, MDA (ISO 3166) |
| Capital | Chișinău |
| Continent | Europe |
| Population | 2,409,207 |
| Area | 33,844 km² |
| Currency | Moldovan leu |
| National anthem | Limba noastră |
Moldova flag: frequently asked questions
What does the Moldova flag look like?
It is a vertical tricolor of blue, yellow and red with the national coat of arms in the center. The coat of arms is an eagle with a cross in its beak, carrying a shield with an aurochs head.
What bird is on the Moldova flag?
The bird is an eagle, shown with a cross in its beak and an olive branch in its talon. On its chest is a shield with an aurochs head.
Why is the Moldova flag similar to the Romanian flag?
The two flags share the same colors because the countries share history and language. Moldova was once part of the Principality of Moldavia, and the region belonged to Romania between the two world wars. The Moldovan flag also has an emblem, and Romania's does not.
What was the old name for Moldova?
The area was known as Bessarabia while under the Russian Empire and in the interwar period. In the Soviet era it was the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic, and Moldavia is also the name of the historical principality.
What is 🇲🇩?
The 🇲🇩 emoji is the flag of Moldova, made from the country letters M and D.
What country did Moldova belong to?
Moldova was a republic of the Soviet Union, the Moldavian SSR, from 1940 until it declared independence on 27 August 1991. Before that, most of its territory lay inside the historical principality of Moldavia, and the Russian Empire held it from 1812.
Is Moldavia the same as Moldova?
No. Moldavia is the historical principality, which included most of modern Moldova's territory until 1812, while Moldova is today's independent republic. The modern state takes its name from the Moldova River.
Is the Moldova flag the same on both sides?
Almost. The blue, yellow and red stripes are the same on both sides, but the reverse is mirrored, so the coat of arms on the yellow stripe appears as a mirror image of the front. The flag ratio is 1:2.
