"Croatian flag" redirects here. For the flag of Croatians in Serbia, see Flag of Croats of Serbia.

The national flag of Croatia (Croatian: Zastava Hrvatske) or The Tricolour (Trobojnica) is one of the state symbols of Croatia. It consists of three equal size, horizontal stripes in colours red, white and blue. In the middle is the coat of arms of Croatia.

History

The flag combines the colours of the flags of the Kingdom of Croatia (red and white), the Kingdom of Slavonia (blue and white) and partially of the Kingdom of Dalmatia (blue and yellow).

The red-white-blue tricolour has been used as the Croatian flag since 1848, and the pan-Slavic colours are widely associated with romantic nationalism. While the Banovina of Croatia existed within the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, it had a similar flag without the modern crown above the chequy. After the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was invaded and Croatia became the Independent State of Croatia, the crown was removed and a "U" was placed at the top left of the flag. Also, the first field of the Croatian chequy was white. After Nazi Germany collapsed and the SFR Yugoslavia was created, Croatia's flag had a five-pointed red star with a yellow border in place of the coat of arms. The star was replaced by the coat of arms in May 1990, shortly after the first multiparty elections. The current flag and the coat of arms were officially adopted on 21 December 1990, about ten months before the proclamation of independence from Yugoslavia and a day before the Constitution of Croatia on 22 December 1990.

Shield

The shield is in the red and white checks of Croatia. Above is a crown made of shields of its various regions. From left to right they are the ancient arms of Croatia, Dubrovnik, Dalmatia, Istria and Slavonia.

Colours

The following colours are specified for use in the flag:

Unicode

The national flag of Croatia is represented as the Unicode emoji sequence U+1F1ED 🇭 REGIONAL INDICATOR SYMBOL LETTER H and U+1F1F7 🇷 REGIONAL INDICATOR SYMBOL LETTER R.

Historical flags

Main article: List of Croatian flags § Historical flags (tricolour)

• Kingdom of Croatia (925-1102). A banner of Croatia used during the Croatian Kingdom.

• Croatia in personal union with Hungary (Early 16th century–1526). Banner of Croatian troops (chessboard) in battle of Mohacs, carried by one of the captains of Croatian ban.

• The Kingdom of Croatia under Habsburg Rule (1830). A yellow swallow-tailed flag with the Croatian Coat of arms on it.

• Croatian Kingdom (Triune Kingdom) (1848). Flag of Croatia during the 1848 Hungarian revolution.

• Flag of the Kingdom of Croatia since 1848. It was banned between 1852 and 1860

• Flag of the Kingdom of Croatia (1852–1860), similar to the flag of Monaco

• Flag of the Kingdom of Slavonia (1852–1868)

• Flag of the Kingdom of Dalmatia (1820–1918)

• Civil Flag of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia (1868–1918)

• Flag of the Triune Kingdom of Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia with the coat of arms, for usage in autonomic affairs. (1868–1918)

• Flag of the Banovina of Croatia (1939–1941)

• Flag of the Independent State of Croatia (1941–1945)

• Flag of the People's Republic of Croatia (8 May 1945 – 18 Jan 1947)

• Flag of the Socialist Republic of Croatia (1947–1990)

• Flag of Croatia used in 1990, prior to the official adoption of the current flag.

• Variation of the flag of the Republic of Croatia (25 July – 21 December 1990)

Other official flags in Croatia

• Standard of the President of the Republic of Croatia

Naval and other official flags

• Naval Ensign

• Naval Jack

• Flag of the President and the Commander-in-Chief

• Flag of the Minister of Defence

• Flag of the Chief of the General Staff

• Flag of the Commander of the Croatian Navy

• Flag of the Admiral of the Fleet

• Flag of the Admiral

• Flag of the Vice Admiral

• Flag of the Rear Admiral

• Flag of the Commodore

• Pennant of the commander of a fleet of naval vessels

• Pennant of the commander of a flotilla of naval vessels

• Pennant of the commander of a division of naval vessels

• Pennant of the commander of a group of naval vessels

• Pennant of the most senior commander of a naval vessel

• Pennant of the commander of a naval vessel

• Flag of the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament

• Flag of the President of the Government of the Republic of Croatia

• Flag of the General of the Armed Forces

Gallery

• Croatian flag flying in Dubrovnik.

• Fans holding the Croatian flag during the 2011 Hungarian Grand Prix.

• Athletes of Croatia entering during the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Paralympics with the national flag.

• A series of Croatian flags during Statehood Day in 2007.

• Croatian Honor Guard during the parade.

• Croatian flag raised in the European Parliament after accession in 2013.

• The Croatian flag during the 2015 World Fencing Championships opening ceremony in Moscow.

• The flag in the Croatian Embassy in Budapest.

• In Crikvenica, fans gathered with the Croatian flag watching the home team playing Portugal during the 2016 Independence Day holiday.