Flag of Greece
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Name | Η Γαλανόλευκη (I Galanolefki, 'The Blue and White') |
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Proportion | 2:3 |
Adopted | 22 December 1978 |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/Greek_flag_waving.png/220px-Greek_flag_waving.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/Old_land_flag_of_Greece.png/220px-Old_land_flag_of_Greece.png)
The flag of Greece is rectangular with nine equal stripes of blue (5) and white (4) from left to right. In the top left corner is a blue square with a white cross. This flag has been used since 1822, when the young Greek state was fighting for its independence from the Ottoman Empire during the Greek War of Independence.[1]
The current flag of Greece was officially adopted during the First national assembly of the Greeks at Epidaurus in 1822, and the flag with the 9 stripes was adopted as a state and military ensign (a flag used only by the government and the military, and only on ships). Another flag was chosen as a land flag, it was a simple white cross on a blue field. A third flag was adopted for the merchant fleet (a flag to be used by civilians on ships only), but it was only used for 8 years. In 1978, the ensign was chosen as the sole national flag, and it is now used by everyone on land and sea as the flag of Greece.
A different opinion states that the Greek flag is an exact duplicate of the East India Trading Company flag. [1]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/East_india_Trading_Company_flag.jpg/220px-East_india_Trading_Company_flag.jpg)
It is sometimes known in Greece as the blue-white, in Greek Γαλανόλευκη (Galanólefki) or Κυανόλευκη (Kyanólefki).
Gallery[change | change source]
References[change | change source]
- ↑ "The Flag, from the site of the Presidency of the Hellenic Republic". Archived from the original on 2011-04-10. Retrieved 2022-02-16.