The flag of Greece is one of the national symbols of the European country.
It is made up of a combination of white and blue stripes that create a striped pattern in the background, and above it, in the upper left corner, is a blue square with a white cross.
The current national flag of Greece was adopted on December 21, 1978. The old flag was all blue in the background, in a darker tone, and with a white cross on top. This was used only by the Merchant Navy in the country.
Meaning of Greek Flag Elements
Blue symbolizes the sea and sky of Greece, while white is related to the waves in the sea and the clouds in the sky. The symbology of these colors refers to the importance that the Greek gives to its territory, a source of national pride and which also attracts tourists from around the world for its beauty.
The white cross in the left corner is a representation of the Catholic Orthodox Church, the traditional religion of Greece.
The flag background is composed of nine stripes that alternate between blue and white, starting and ending with a blue stripe. The number nine represents the nine syllables, in Greek, of "freedom or death", an expression used in the battle for Greek liberation against the Ottoman Empire during the Hellenic Revolution.
The nine stripes can also represent each of the country's nine geographic regions.
The ratio of the flag of Greece is 2:3.
Discover the meaning of the others country flags and Portugal flag.
