Greece Flag: 9 Stripes, Cross, Meaning, Ratio & History
Explore Greece’s nine blue-and-white stripes, the ‘Freedom or Death’ explanation, white cross symbolism, 1822 origins and exact 2:3 construction under current law.
What does the Greek flag look like?
The flag has nine equal horizontal bands, alternating blue and white, with blue at both the top and bottom. Five bands are blue and four are white.
At the upper hoist is a blue square spanning five stripe-heights, containing a white upright cross. Law 851/1978 specifies that the cross arms have the same width as one horizontal stripe.
Why does the Greece flag have nine stripes?
Greece’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs explains the nine stripes as representing the nine syllables of the national motto Eleftheria i Thanatos, meaning “Freedom or Death.”
This interpretation is one of the most widely recognized features of the modern Greek flag.
What do blue and white mean?
Official Greek sources associate blue with the sky and seas of Greece and white with the purity of the struggle for independence.
The white cross represents the Christian religious tradition.
When was the Greek flag created?
The Presidency of the Hellenic Republic states that the type and blue-and-white colors of Greece’s national flags were established in January 1822 by the First National Assembly at Epidaurus during the Greek War of Independence.
Historically, Greece used different land and sea variants. The striped flag with the canton cross eventually became the single national flag under Law 851/1978.
Greece flag dimensions
Law 851/1978 fixes the flag’s height-to-length proportion at 2:3. Each horizontal stripe is one-ninth of the total flag height.
| Ratio | 2:3 |
|---|---|
| Horizontal stripes | 9 equal bands |
| Blue stripes | 5 |
| White stripes | 4 |
| Canton height | 5 stripe-heights |
| Cross arm width | 1 stripe-width |
Greece flag quick facts
| Colors established | January 1822 |
|---|---|
| Current legal framework | Law 851/1978 |
| Ratio | 2:3 |
| Stripes | 9 |
| National motto linked to stripes | Eleftheria i Thanatos |
| Canton symbol | White Christian cross |
Greece flag FAQ
Why are there nine stripes on the Greek flag?
Official Greek sources connect them with the nine syllables of “Eleftheria i Thanatos,” meaning “Freedom or Death.”
What does the white cross mean?
It represents the Christian religious tradition.
What is the Greece flag ratio?
2:3.
When were Greece’s blue and white flag colors established?
January 1822 at the First National Assembly of Epidaurus.
How wide is each stripe?
Each stripe is one-ninth of the total flag height.
