Flag of Iceland

The flag of Iceland shows since June 19, 1915, a white- red cross on a dark blue ground.

Description and significance

The dark blue area symbolizes the Atlantic Ocean and the blue sky over Iceland. The red and white cross stands for fire (volcanic activity) and ice ( glaciers ), the Scandinavian cross the ties with Scandinavia expresses, whose origins date back to the Dannebrog.

The law " Law on the State Flag of Iceland and the State Emblem " describes this in the following ( freely translated ):

" The Icelandic Civil flag is blue like the sky with a snow-white cross, a fiery red cross inside the white cross. The width of the cross extend to the side ends of the flag. The width of the cross is horizontally and vertically by two ninths, the red cross is only one -ninth of the total flag wide. The blue areas are rectangles. The left- right corner have the same length and width, the right rectangles are twice as wide as high. The ratio of the total flag between height and width is 18:25. "

Coloring

Pursuant to statutory provisions, which came into effect in 1991, the colors are according to the following textile colors (according to the Dictionnaire International de la Couleur )

Defined:

• Sky blue color: SCOTDIC number 693,009th
• Color white as snow: SCOTDIC number 95
• Color fire red: SCOTDIC ICELAND FLAG RED.

The Icelandic government is considering to set the color definition in the known Pantone and CMYK system. However, it has still taken no further action in this regard, and therefore the following information unofficial suggestions:

Pantone Matching System ( proposal ):

• Blue: PMS 287
• Red: PMS 1795

CMYK ( proposal ):

• Blue: CMYK 100-69-0-11.5
• Red: CMYK 0-94-100-0

History

1897 wrote the poet Einar Benediktsson founded by him in his first Icelandic daily newspaper Dagskrá about the flag issue and defined there next to the Coat of Arms Flag. He hit a white Scandinavian cross in front of blue background. The Hvitblainn (the " white-blue " ) prevailed as Iceland's first unofficial national flag and almost equal to the current flag of Shetland.

At the Olympic Games in Stockholm in 1912, the Danish sports administration banned the Icelandic athletes to participate under its own flag, which caused unrest among the athletes and youth organizations.

On June 12, 1913 in the harbor of Reykjavik heated another incident tempers, as a captain of the Danish coast guard arresting a young man because he was waving the blue and white flag. The people protested against the encroachment by anywhere in the city took out the blue and white flags. The Reykjavík representative for the Icelandic parliament, the Althing the, demanded that the Icelandic flag is already enshrined in law the next Thing Assembly.

But the Hvitblainn was rejected by the flag committee, because it resembled too much the flag of Sweden and especially the naval flag of Greece. Instead, it has been supplemented by a red cross and there was the civil flag of Iceland, which is used as an unofficial identification since 1913. The Althing reached in consultation with the Danish king, that these " special flag " ( Særflag ) was officially used for the first time on June 19, 1915 for use at home and in local waters to represent Iceland as part of Denmark. During the First World War from 1914 to 1918, the Icelandic ships in distant waters sailed, however, was still under Danish flag. As a regular ship's flag was used from 1 December 1918 to 1944. Except for the slightly lighter blue she was already identical with the current flag. Official State Flag, she was with her new shade of blue only with Act No. 34, which was adopted on the day of the founding of the Republic on June 17, 1944.

? Unanswered flag design by Magnus Thordarson, 1914

? Flag of the Kingdom of Iceland, 1918 ( or 1915) to 1944

Legislation

As at June 17, 1944 Iceland became independent, a law concerning the national flag and the national coat of arms was adopted. To date, this law the only one that deals with the national flag, except being two other legal texts of 1991, that describe when the flag should be hoisted. The other text includes a detailed description of the appearance of the flag. This, however, only the current practice of colors was put on paper.

The law also describes the dimensions of the normal and the special government flags, which are used by embassies and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It also goes into the details on how the flag should be hoisted in different situations, such as at the flagpole on the building or on ships.

Under this law, the use of the flag is a privilege and not a right. The owner of the flag has the legal instructions and make sure that the flag is in a perfect general condition result in the use. The law also condemns the non Respect the flag in word and deed by a fine and imprisonment of up to one year.

The original law of 1944 contains 7 articles a legislative expansion in terms of official occasions on which hoisted the flag, or the time at which the flag should be in the evening caught up. It took almost 50 years before 1991 this amendment was adopted, in which it is stated that the flag should not be hoisted before a 7 clock. In addition, the flag should be sought at sunset again, but no later than midnight. If the flag should be hoisted at a meeting in the open air, an official meeting, a funeral or a memorial service, they can remain hoisted for the duration of the event, but not beyond midnight.

Official flag days

The Fifth Law of 23 January 1991, the days have been set, on which the flag should be hoisted across the country. This means that the flag on federal and office buildings, as well as to buildings under the administration of government agencies and representatives of the State, is hoisted. Additional days can be added annually as directed by the Office of the Prime Minister.

The flag must be hoisted on the following days at full mast, excluding Good Friday, is prescribed to the half-staff position:

• Birthday of the President of Iceland
• Seamen
• New Year
• Good Friday
• Easter
• Pentecost
• May 1
• June 17 ( the day of the founding of the Republic )
• Traditional beginning of summer (first Thursday after April 18 )
• December 1
• Christmas ( December 25)

More flags

The national flag is the flight page on a third of the length of triangular flags cut (dovetail ). The flag of the President is also in a white square, which lies above the intersection of the cross, the emblem of the country. Since Iceland has no armed forces, it also does not have war flags.

Flag of the President

Flag of the duty

Flag of Reykjavík