Iceland

Island

Last modified: 2000-01-07 by edward mooney jr.
Keywords: iceland | island | europe | cross | scandinavian cross |
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• Dimensions of the flag
• About dimensions in Scandinavian flags
• General information on the flag
• History of the flag and arms
• Official flags
• Unofficial flag, 1897
• Royal Standard
• Regent's flag
• President's flag
• State flag
• Customs flag
• Local flags

• Nordic Council
• Norden

mark sensen, 1995-SEP-25

Scandinavian crosses are measured by the width of the color, as shown in the diagram above. In the case of Iceland, horizontally there are 7 units of blue, 1 unit of white, 2 units of red, 1 unit of white, and 14 units of blue. Vertically the flag has 7 units of blue, 1 unit of white, 2 units of red, 1 unit of white and 7 units of blue.

See also: Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, Norway, Sweden

edward mooney, jr. 1999-12-20

The Danish National Encyclopaedia has the following to say about the Icelandic national flag:

The flag has been official since 1915. The traditional colours of Iceland are blue and white; to those were added red, combined showing a historical connection to Norway. The cross in the flag symbolises the Scandinavian connection. From the 16th century till 1944 Iceland was represented in the Danish national arms; until 1903 by a crowned stockfish, a dried codfish sans head, and 1903-44 by a falcon.

ole andersen, 1998-6-11

Up till this year Iceland had six official flags, established by the flag law and a presidential proclamation, both of 1944. These were the national flag, the state flag (swallow-tailed), the president's flag, the customs flag, the flag of the post and telecommunications service, and the pilot flag.

On 12. June 1998 Iceland's parliament adopted an act to amend the flag law of 17. June 1944. Two flags were abolished by the amendment: The flag of the post and tele- communications service (because of privatization) and the pilot flag (this had gone out of use). This means that Iceland now has four official flags: The national flag, the swallow-tailed state flag, the president's flag, and the customs flag. The presidential flag and the customs flag are both based on the swallow-tailed state flag. In the president's flag the national arms of Iceland are set on a white panel in the centre of the cross. The customs flag has a silver T in the canton.

Jan Oskar Engene, 14 Dec 1998

In 1897 an unofficial flag with a white cross on a blue field was made, and this became popular it seems, at least until the current flag was introduced in 1913. Though it was a Scandinavian cross flag, it was too similar to the Greek flag, and did not meet with official approval.

jan oskar engene, 1996-JUN-24

Blue and white were considered to be the proper colours of Iceland. As early as 1874, Sigurdur Gudmundsson had made a flag with a blue field and a white falcon with wings stretched out. He flew it during a Royal visit. The perched white falcon on blue was later officially the Royal standard of Iceland. It was used only once, in 1921 when king Christian X visited his Kingdom of Iceland. In the Flaggenbuch of the German navy (1939), the proportions of the royal standard are given as 18:25. The illustration in this book shows a golden royal crown above the falcon (it is not on the bird's head). Most other sources I can find do not mention a crown. The arms at least were almost certainly without it. On the other hand, the Flaggenbuch is considered to be accurate, so the crown is probably correct.

jan oskar engene, 1996-JUN-24

When Denmark was occupied by German troops on 9 April 1940, the connections with Iceland were interrupted. On 17 May 1941 the parliament of Iceland declared that the country had the right to break the constitutional relationship with Denmark. An office as regent was set up to exercise the powers of the king. The regent's flag was the state flag with an `R' in gold on a white panel in the middle of the cross. This flag was used until 18 July 1944 when the presidential flag of the Republic of Iceland was adopted.

jan oskar engene, 1996-JUN-24

In the presidential flag, adopted 18 July 1944, the arms are put on a white field in the intersection of the arms of the cross. The flag is swallow-tailed.

jan oskar engene, 1996-JUN-24

The state flag is also swallow-tailed, but without the arms. This was introduced in 1918, and has not changed since.

jan oskar engene, 1996-JUN-24

The flag of the customs service is the state flag with a `T' in white in the canton.

jan oskar engene, 1996-JUN-24