Estonia’s national flag is a horizontal tricolour of blue, black and white. It originated as the flag of an Estonian student association in the nineteenth century and became a national symbol before independence.
What does the Estonian flag look like?
The flag has three equal horizontal bands: blue on top, black in the centre and white below. The official proportions are 7:11 in height to length.
Origins of the blue-black-white flag
The flag was first consecrated at Otepää on June 4, 1884, as the banner of the Estonian Students’ Society. During the national awakening it increasingly came to represent Estonian identity beyond the student organisation.
State flag and restoration
Estonia’s provisional government declared blue-black-white the state flag on November 21, 1918, and parliament adopted a State Flag Act in 1922. Soviet authorities banned the flag after the 1940 annexation. It returned openly during the Singing Revolution in 1987–88 and was restored as Estonia re-established independence.
Estonia flag facts
- Colors: blue, black and white
- First consecrated: June 4, 1884
- State flag declared: 1918
- Flag law: 1922
Source
Primary reference: President of Estonia — National Symbols.
