Nordic Cross flag

Short description: flag bearing the design of the Nordic or Scandanavian cross

Nordic flags, from left to right: the flags of *Finland* , Iceland, *Norway* , Sweden and *Denmark* , respectively.

The Nordic Cross flag is any of certain flags bearing the design of the Nordic or Scandinavian cross, a cross symbol in a rectangular field, with the center of the cross shifted towards the hoist.

All of the Nordic countries except Greenland have adopted such flags in the modern period, and while the Scandinavian cross is named for its use in the national flags of the Scandinavian nations, the term is used universally by vexillologists, in reference not only to the flags of the Nordic countries.^[1]

The cross design represents Christianity,^[2]^[3]^[4] and the characteristic shift of the center to the hoist side is early modern, first described the Danish civil ensign (Koffardiflaget) for merchant ships in a regulation of 11 June 1748, which specified the shift of the cross center towards the hoist as "the two first fields must be square in form and the two outer fields must be ⁶⁄₄ lengths of those". The Danish design was adopted for the flags of Norway (civil ensign 1821) and Sweden (1906), both derived from a common ensign used during the Union between Sweden and Norway 1818–1844, as well as Iceland (1915) and Finland (1917); some of the subdivisions of these countries used this as inspiration for their own flags. The Norwegian flag was the first Nordic cross flag with three colours. All Nordic flags may be flown as gonfalons as well.^{[citation needed]}

Flags of the Nordic countries

Note that some of these flags are historical. Also, note that flag proportions may vary between the different flags and sometimes even between different versions of the same flag.

The Flag of Greenland is the only national flag of a Nordic country or territory without a Nordic Cross. When Greenland was granted home rule, the present flag - with a graphic design unique to Greenland - was adopted on June 1985, supported by fourteen votes against eleven who supported a proposed green-and-white Nordic cross.^[5]

Denmark

Flag of Denmark (1748)
State flag of Denmark (17th century)
Naval ensign of Denmark (17th century). Note the darker kraprød colour (1939).
Flag of the Faroe Islands (1919)

Finland

Flag of Finland (1918)
State flag of Finland (1978)
War flag and naval ensign of Finland (1918)
Flag of the President of Finland, with the Cross of Liberty in the canton (1978)
Finnish yacht club ensign. Ratified club emblem in the canton (1919)
Flag of the Åland Islands (1954)

Iceland

Flag of Iceland
State flag of Iceland
Flag of the President of Iceland
Flag of the Icelandic Customs Service

Norway

Flag of Norway 1821–1844 and 1899–present
Naval ensign of Norway since 1905, civilian state flag since 1899.
Former flag of Norway (1814–1821).
The common naval ensign and war flag of Sweden and Norway from 1815 to 1844.
Merchant flag of Norway 1844–1898 with the union badge representing the union with Sweden.
Naval ensign and state flag of Norway 1844–1905.

Sweden

Flag of Sweden
Naval ensign of Sweden
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Royal standard of Sweden with the Greater coat of arms, used by the King of Sweden
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Royal standard of Sweden with the lesser coat of arms (the royal house using the greater coat of arms)
Flag of Sweden 1844–1905 representing the union with Norway
Flag of the Swedish province of Scania and Skåneland

Kalmar Union

Historical Flag of the Kalmar Union, which united Denmark, Sweden and Norway 1397 to 1523. No pictorial evidence survives of the Kalmar Union's Flag. The flag appearing here is a reconstruction based on references in 1430 letters by King Eric of Pomerania.

Unofficial Nordic flags

These flags either do not have official status or represent various private entities. They have not been officially adopted and their use remains limited.

Unofficial flag of Bornholm (1970s)
Proposal for flag of Jutland, designed by artist Per Kramer (1975)^[6] (actual use is not recorded)
Another proposal for flag of Jutland, dating from 1972 (not in use)
Proposal for a flag of Greenland, designed in 1984 by Sven Tito Achen. Rejected in favour of the non-Nordic-Cross flag.
Unofficial flag representing the Swedish-speaking minority in Finland. To be flown along with the Finnish National Flag (1902)
Template:FIAVFormer unofficial flag of Iceland (ca. 1900)
Proposal for flag of Iceland, designed in 1914 by Magnús Þórðarson
Flag of Norwegian fascist party Nasjonal Samling 1933–1945.
Unofficial flag of the Finnish speaking minority in Sweden
Flag of Vendsyssel, Denmark
Unofficial flag of Norrland, the northernmost land of Sweden