thumb|The flag of Åland displayed alongside the [[flag of Finland.]]

The flag of Åland (; ) is a Nordic cross featuring a red cross fimbriated in yellow on a blue field, with the vertical arm shifted toward the hoist. In vexillological terms, it resembles the Swedish flag modified by the addition of a red cross symbolising Finland.

The flag was officially adopted in 1954 and was first hoisted in Mariehamn on 3 April of that year. Prior to autonomy, an unofficial horizontal blue–yellow–blue triband was in use until it was prohibited in 1935. The last Sunday of April is observed in Åland as an official flag day dedicated to the regional flag.

Colours

The official colours of the Åland flag are defined in the Landskapsförordning (2004:15) om riktlinjer för Ålands flaggas färger. The regulation specifies the colours using the Natural Color System (NCS), with a tolerance of ±5 NCS units for hue and chromaticity. Pantone and CMYK values are provided as approximate equivalents.

{| class="wikitable" style="white-space: nowrap; text-align: left"

! Colour model

! Blue

! Yellow

! Red

|-

| NCS

| 3065-R90B

| 0580-Y10R

| 1085-Y90R

|-

| Pantone

| 2945C / 300U

| 116C / 109U

| 186C / 185U

|-

| CMYK

| 100-54-2-0

| 0-16-100-0

| 6-100-100-0

|}

<gallery class="center">

File:Åland flag 1922.svg| Unofficial tricolour used from the early 1920s until 1935

File:Åland flag (proposal 1).svg| Original proposed flag design

File:Åland flag (proposal 2).svg| Matts Dreijer's 1939 proposal

File:Åland Flag Proposal "Pestflaggan".svg| The "Pestflaggan"

File:Åland Flag Proposal (1946).svg| Matts Dreijer's 1946 proposal

File:Åland Flag Proposal (1953).svg| Debate proposal 1

File:Åland Flag Proposal (November 1953).svg| Debate proposal 2

File:Åland Flag Proposal (March & November 1953).svg| Debate proposal 3

File:Åland flag (proposal 2).svg| "Finnish" flag proposal

</gallery>

See also

  • Åland's Autonomy Day
  • Coat of arms of Åland

References

  • Flags of the Åland Islands