Europe

Flag of Moldova

Moldova is a small landlocked country in Eastern Europe bordered by Romania and Ukraine, one of Europe's least visited yet historically fascinating nations. Gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, it navigates the challenge of the breakaway region of Transnistria, which has functioned as a de facto separate state since 1990. Moldova has a long winemaking tradition stretching back thousands of years and is known for producing excellent wines.

CapitalChisinau
RegionEurope
Current flag since1990
Main coloursBlue, Yellow, Red
Populationabout 2.6 million
Areaabout 34,000 km²
GeographyLandlocked
Flags in history4

Population and area are rounded.

What the flag of Moldova means

Moldova shares Romania's blue, yellow and red, a sign of their common history and language. The coat of arms shows an eagle holding an Orthodox cross in its beak, an olive branch and a sceptre, with a shield bearing the head of an aurochs, the ancient symbol of the Principality of Moldavia, between a rose, a crescent and a star. The flag was adopted in 1990.

How to recognise it

Like Romania (blue-yellow-red) but has an eagle with a shield in the centre yellow stripe.

Did you know?

Moldova produces more wine per capita than any other country in the world.

Easily confused with

Moldova's flag is often mixed up with these. Learn to tell them apart:

Romania

Chad

Andorra

Flag history of Moldova

Every flag that has flown over Moldova, from today back through time.

1990–present

Flag of Moldova

A blue-yellow-red vertical tricolour adopted in 1990, deliberately modelled on Romania's flag to reflect shared heritage, but bearing Moldova's eagle-and-aurochs coat of arms on the central stripe.

1952–1990

Moldavian SSR

A red field with a central green stripe and a gold hammer, sickle, and star. Its red-green-red layout closely resembles the flag of present-day breakaway Transnistria.

1918–1940

Part of Romania (Bessarabia)

Most of present-day Moldova — historic Bessarabia — united with Romania in 1918 after a century under the Russian Empire, flying the Romanian flag. The 1939 Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact handed it to the USSR in 1940, which carved out the Moldavian SSR — the root of Moldova's lasting question of identity between Romania and the post-Soviet world.

1346–1859

Principality of Moldavia

The medieval Principality of Moldavia — the realm of Stephen the Great, who held off Ottoman, Hungarian and Polish armies — flew a red banner bearing the head of an aurochs (a wild ox), the enduring symbol of the Moldavian lands. In 1859 Moldavia united with Wallachia to form modern Romania; the eastern half later became Moldova.

Related historical states

Empires, kingdoms and republics that once covered part of Moldova.

1922–1991

Soviet Union

The gold hammer and sickle beneath a red star stood for the worker-peasant alliance. The exact shade and proportions were fixed by Soviet law in 1955.

1952–1990

Moldavian SSR

A red flag with a central green stripe and the hammer, sickle and star, flown by Soviet Moldova before the country adopted a Romanian-style tricolor in 1990.