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Iceland's first national flag was a white cross on a deep blue background. It was first shown in parade in 1897. The modern flag dates from 1915, when a red cross was inserted into the white cross of the original flag. This cross represents Christianity.
When Iceland became a republic on June 17, 1944, the flag was altered by a change to a darker shade of blue. Blue and white had originally been chosen for several reasons. The first local flag of those colours, used only briefly, dated from 1809.
Find out where the design of the Icelandic flag came from and what it means to Icelanders. Discover the meaning behind its symbolism. Read on.
A brief history of the Icelandic flag by Birgir Thorlacius. Previously published in Icelandic in Fáni Íslands, skjaldarmerki, þjóðsöngur, heiðursmerki [The Flag, Coat of Arms, National Anthem and Official Honours of Iceland], published by the Prime Minister's Office, 1991.
The flag of the President of Iceland is the state flag (swallowtail) figuring the Icelandic coat of arms where the arms of the cross meet, with shield bearers on a white rectangular field. Customs flag. The customs flag is the state flag with a capital T (the Icelandic word for customs is “Tollur”) in the centre of the canton. The T-form is silver.
History of the flag of Iceland. The idea for the Icelandic flag came about in 1906 when Mathias Schursarson proposed a design with a red cross inside a white one on a blue background. An illustration of a similar flag design from 1740-1750 was found in a museum in Stockholm.
Like almost all Scandinavian national flags, the Icelandic flag bears the so-called Scandinavian cross, also known as St Philip’s cross. Originally a religious symbol, it nowadays symbolises the unity of the Scandinavian countries through their shared values.
