Iceland Flag

The flag of Iceland is a red, included in a white cross, on a blue background. It was adopted at the declaration of the Republic of Iceland in 1944. It bears, like many Northern Europe countries, the Scandinavian cross. This one dates of 1219. While in battle, in Reval (now Tallinn, capital of Estonia), it is said that the Scandinavian cross appeared in the eyes of Valdemar the Victorious, who took it as a sign from God to slay his Estonian opponents. Another version relates that after the battle, all his clothes were stained with blood, leaving only a trace of his belt and shoulder harness, a white cross on a red background. These colours were directly taken to complete the flag of Denmark, but the symbol of the cross is also used for Scandinavian flags of Finland, Sweden and Norway. The square in the canton (upper left corner at the hoist) and the lower left corner one, must be strictly less than twice as wide as the blue rectangles at the wind. The composition of the flag is strictly dictated by the law of 17 June 1944.