Greece is widely regarded as the cradle of Western civilisation, birthplace of democracy, Western philosophy, the Olympic Games, and significant foundations of modern literature and science. The country consists of a mountainous mainland peninsula and more than 6,000 islands, of which about 230 are permanently inhabited. Athens, one of the world's oldest cities, has been continuously inhabited for at least 7,000 years and is home to the ancient Acropolis.
Population and area are rounded.
The nine stripes are traditionally said to match the nine syllables of the independence-war motto “Eleftheria i Thanatos”, Freedom or Death. The white cross in the canton stands for Greek Orthodox Christianity, and the blue and white are popularly linked to the sea and the sky. Used at sea since 1822, the striped design became the sole national flag in 1978, replacing a plain white cross on blue that had been used on land.
Nine alternating blue-white horizontal stripes with a blue canton holding a white cross.
Greece has been continuously inhabited for over 7,000 years and invented democracy.
Every flag that has flown over Greece, from today back through time.
Adopted as the sole national flag in 1978, with nine alternating blue and white stripes and a white cross in the canton. Tradition links the nine stripes to the syllables of "Eleftheria i Thanatos" — "Freedom or Death".
During the military junta the plain cross land flag was rendered in a very dark navy blue and made the sole national flag in 1970. It was abolished after the restoration of democracy.
Standardized by the Provisional Government in 1822 as the "land flag" — a plain blue field with a centered white cross. It served on and off as the national land flag for over 150 years.
A blue flag with a white cross used by Greek revolutionaries, first appearing in the 1769 Orlov Revolt and becoming the most widespread banner of the 1821 War of Independence. The cross symbolized the Orthodox faith that unified the fighters.
Empires, kingdoms and republics that once covered part of Greece.
The four gold firesteels (often glossed 'King of Kings, Ruling over Kings') were the emblem of the Palaiologos dynasty, the last imperial house, which fell with Constantinople in 1453.
The plain blue field with a white cross was the official land flag from 1822. The blue-and-white striped version initially served only as the naval ensign.
Autonomous Crete under Prince George of Greece; its blue flag with a white cross adds a red canton with a white star, symbolizing remaining Ottoman suzerainty.
A blue field with the golden Lion of St Mark holding seven arrows for the seven Ionian islands — the first autonomous Greek state of the modern era.
A green-white-blue flag tied to a WWII Axis-sponsored Aromanian (Vlach) state in the Pindus mountains, whose actual existence is disputed by historians.
A cross flag with two red and two blue quarters, the red marking Ottoman suzerainty over this autonomous Greek island principality, which united with Greece in 1912.
A Venetian crusader state ruling the Cyclades from Naxos, under the Sanudo dynasty whose white banner bore a red cross and four black crosslets.
A proposed homeland for the Pontic Greeks of the Black Sea coast, never realized; its black flag bore the eagle of the medieval Empire of Trebizond.
A British protectorate over the Ionian Islands, flying the Lion of St Mark on a Union-Jack-cantoned flag, until the islands were ceded to Greece in 1864.
The 5 states, provinces and regions of Greece with their own flags.
Central Macedonia
West Greece
Attica
South Aegean CreteGreece shares a land border with 4 countries: Albania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Turkey.
9 other national flags use the same main colours as Greece's.
Play Globalio and learn Greece's flag
Albania
Bulgaria
North Macedonia
Turkey
El Salvador
Finland
Guatemala
Honduras
Israel
Micronesia
Nicaragua
San Marino
Somalia