Finland Flag
Flag History
After gaining independence from Sweden, a flag was adopted patterned from the Swedish flag.. Similar flags were introduced by Finish yacht clubs more than half a century earlier, when Finland was under Russian rule. The first yacht club, Nylandska Jaktkluben was established in 1861 in Helsinki and adopted a white flag with a blue cross, with the arms of the country of Nyland in the canton. The other yacht clubs followed suit, adopting the same design with different arms in the conton. The first to propose the blue and white as the national colors of Finland was a poet called Zachris Topelius in 1862.
Flag Date of Adoption
29 May 1918
Flag Symbolism
white with a blue cross extending to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)Blue represents the thousands of lakes in Finland and its clear sky. The white stands for the snow that covers the country in the winter.
Finland National Anthem
| Listen to National Anthem | |
| Anthem History | in use since 1848; although never officially adopted by law, the anthem has been popular since it was first sung by a student group in 1848; Estonia's anthem uses the same melody as that of Finland |
| Anthem Lyrics |
Oi maamme Suomi, synnyinmaa, VÅRT LAND (Swedish Version) Vårt land, vårt land, vårt fosterland, ljud högt, o dyra ord! Ej lyfts en höjd mot himlens rand, ej sänks en dal, ej sköljs en strand mer älskad än vår bygd i nord, än våra fäders jord. Din blomning, sluten än i knopp, skall mogna ur sitt tvång; se, ur vår kärlek skall gå opp ditt ljus, din glans, din fröjd, ditt hopp och högra klinga skall en gång vår fosterländska sång. |
| Anthem Lyrics English |
Our land, our land, our fatherland, |