Introduction
The flag of Åland is a Nordic cross: a red cross fimbriated in yellow on a blue field, the vertical arm shifted toward the hoist.
Read in vexillological terms it is the Swedish flag with a red cross added, which is exactly what it means.
Meaning & Symbolism
Åland is a Swedish-speaking autonomous region of Finland, and the flag says both things at once. The blue and yellow are Sweden; the red cross laid over them is Finland.
The colours also appear in the arms of Åland, so the flag is not simply a political statement bolted together.
History of the Åland Islands Flag
Before autonomy the islands used an unofficial blue, yellow and blue horizontal triband, which was prohibited in 1935.
The present flag was officially adopted in 1954 and first hoisted at Mariehamn on 3 April of that year. The last Sunday of April is an official flag day in the islands.
Curiosities
- It is the Swedish flag with a Finnish red cross laid over it, which is a fair description of Åland itself.
- The earlier unofficial blue-yellow-blue triband was banned outright in 1935.
- Åland is Swedish-speaking but belongs to Finland, and its autonomy is guaranteed by international agreement.
- Its 17:26 proportions are unusual even among Nordic cross flags.
- The last Sunday of April is an official flag day there.
Download Flag
Download the flag of Åland Islands in high-quality SVG vector format or PNG raster images. SVG files can be scaled to any size without losing quality.
Digital icon artwork; its proportions may differ from the official flag proportions listed on this page.