Flag of Estonia

The flag of Estonia (Eesti lipp) is a tricolour featuring three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), black (middle), and white (bottom). In Estonian it is colloquially called the sinimustvalge (blue-black-white). The tricolour was already in wide use as the symbol of Estonia and Estonians when the Republic of Estonia became a fully independent country in 1918. Formally, the sinimustvalge became the national flag by the decision of the Estonian Provisional Government on 21 November 1918, and the parliament later reconfirmed the flag's official status with a law in 1922. The tricolour was publicly used as the national flag until the first year of World War II when the Soviet Red Army invaded Estonia in June 1940. Following the occupation and annexation of Estonia by the USSR in August 1940, the new Stalinist regime banned the Estonian flag, and its use as well as any use of its blue, black and white colour combination became punishable by laws of the Soviet Union. The national flag was from 1940 until 1991 continuously used by the Estonian government-in-exile, diplomatic service, and the diaspora of Estonian refugees around the world. In October 1988, the usage of the blue-black-white flag was officially permitted again by the local authorities. On 23 February 1989, the Soviet flag was taken down permanently from the Pikk Hermann tower of the Toompea Castle in the capital city Tallinn. It was replaced with the blue-black-white flag on the next morning, 24 February, upon the 70th anniversary of the Estonian Declaration of Independence (1918). The national flag was officially re-adopted by the Estonian authorities 7 August 1990, one year before the nation's full restoration of independence. The shade of blue is defined by Parliament and Government Office as follows: Pantone colour 285 C. CMYK equivalents: C=91, M=43, Y=0, K=0 RGB values: R=0, G=114, B=206 Hex values: #0072CE List of Estonian flags A symbolic interpretation made popular by the poetry of Martin Lipp says the blue is for the vaulted blue sky above the native land, the black for attachment to the soil of the homeland as well as the fate of Estonians — for centuries black with worries, and white for purity, hard work, and commitment.

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Related concepts (5)

Estonia

Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Lake Peipus and Russia. The territory of Estonia consists of the mainland, the larger islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa, and over 2,200 other islands and islets on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea, covering a total area of .

Flag of Estonia

Harju County

Harju County (Harju maakond or Harjumaa), is one of the fifteen counties of Estonia. It is situated in Northern Estonia, on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, and borders Lääne-Viru County to the east, Järva County to the southeast, Rapla County to the south, and Lääne County to the southwest. The capital and largest city of Estonia, Tallinn, is situated in Harju County. Harju County is the largest county in Estonia in terms of population, as almost half (45%) of the Estonia's population lives in Harju County.