Albania’s national flag is red with a black double-headed eagle in the centre. The eagle is rooted in medieval Albanian heraldry and is especially associated with the fifteenth-century leader Skanderbeg.

What does the Albanian flag look like?

The flag has a plain red field bearing a black double-headed eagle. Unlike Albania’s state coat of arms, the flag does not add a helmet or other elements.

Origins of the double-headed eagle

The double-headed eagle has Byzantine and medieval Balkan heraldic roots. In Albania it became closely associated with the Kastrioti family and Skanderbeg, who led resistance against Ottoman expansion in the fifteenth century.

Modern history

A red flag with a black double-headed eagle was raised when Albanian independence was declared at Vlorë in 1912. Later governments altered details around the eagle, including royal and communist symbols, but the core red-and-black design survived. The present plain form was restored after the end of communist rule.

Albania flag facts

• Colors: red and black
• Symbol: double-headed eagle
• Historic association: Skanderbeg and the Kastrioti arms
• Independence flag: 1912

Reference

Reference: Albanian constitutional provisions on state symbols and the documented heraldic tradition of the Kastrioti double-headed eagle.