Flag of Kosovo
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| Use | National flag  |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 5:7 (1:1.4 in the law)[1] |
| Adopted | 17 February 2008 [2] |
| Design | Blue with six white stars in an arc above a gold-colored map of Kosovo in the center. |
| Designed by | Muhamer Ibrahimi |
The flag of the Republic of Kosovo was adopted by the Assembly of Kosovo immediately following the declaration of independence of the Republic of Kosovo from Serbia[2] on 17 February 2008.[2][3] To date, it was the last flag for adoption.
The flag is the result of an international design competition, organized by the United Nations-backed Kosovo Unity Team, which attracted almost one thousand entries.[4] The now-used design is a variant of one proposal designed by Muhamer Ibrahimi.[5] It shows six white stars in an arc above a golden map of Kosovo on a blue field.[6] They symbolize Kosovo's six major ethnic groups.[7]
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[edit] Design and use
The flag of Kosovo has a blue background, charged with a map of Kosovo and six stars. The stars are officially meant to symbolize Kosovo's six major ethnic groups:[7] Albanians, Serbs, Turks, Gorani, Roma (often grouped with the Ashkali and Egyptians[8]) and Bosniaks. Unofficially, the stars are sometimes said to represent six territories with Albanian population: Albania, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.[9] The flag of Kosovo resembles that of Bosnia and Herzegovina in terms of colors and shapes used (white stars and yellow shape of the country on a blue field). The flag is unusual among national flags in using a map as an emblem; the flag of Cyprus is the other.[10][11] The ratio of the flag was announced during the contest as 2:3,[12] however with the passage of a diplomatic protocol law in Kosovo in April 2009, the ratio was set in law as 1:1.4 (5:7 when put in whole numbers).[1] The colors and construction of the Kosovo flag have not yet been defined; however, an official government document does give the colors of the flag using CMYK.[13]. The unofficial RGB values of the flag have been manually extracted since 2009.[14] The use of the Kosovo flag is regulated by the law: "Law on the Use of Kosovo State Symbols".[15] However, the Serbian Government objects to the use of the Kosovo flag at international meetings and gatherings.[16]
[edit] Colors and sizes
| System | Blue | Gold | White |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMYK (Government)[13] | 78-55-0-35 | 0-20-62-18 | 0-0-0-0 |
| Hexadecimal (Government)[13][17] | #244aa5 | #d0a650 | #ffffff |
| Hexadecimal (Unofficial)[14] | #183884 | #dbbb5b | #ffffff |
| Use[1] | Length and width in centimeters[1] |
|---|---|
| When used outdoors (pole is 10 meters tall and in the ground) | not exceeding 350 × 498 |
| When used outdoors (pole is 10 meters tall and on a balcony) | 200 × 280 |
| When used indoors (pole is 2.5 meters tall) | 107 × 150 or 150 × 210 |
| Table flag | 16 × 23 |
[edit] Use of the Serbian flag
Serbia does not recognize the secession of Kosovo and considers it a United Nations-governed entity within its sovereign territory, the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija (Serbian: Аутономна Покрајина Косово и Метохија, Autonomna Pokrajina Kosovo i Metohija), according to the 2006 Constitution of Serbia.[18] Even months after Kosovo's declaration of independence, the Serbian flag was still seen at official government buildings until officially replaced by the Kosovo Government.[19] Serbian flags were used in global protests in against Kosovo and still can be seen in Serb-majority areas in the north.[20] However, a person was sentenced by a panel of EULEX judges on November 19, 2009, for inciting hatred by raising a Serbian flag on a mosque in the southern part of Mitrovica (among other charges of discord/intolerance and attempted aggravated murder of a police officer).[21]
[edit] Competition for a new flag
Before the declaration of independence, the United Nations' flag was flown in Kosovo during the period of United Nations administration. A competition for a new flag, held in June 2007, received 993 entries.[22] Under the terms of UN talks, all such symbols would have to reflect the multi-ethnic nature of Kosovo,[12] avoiding the use of the Albanian or Serbian double-headed eagles or the use of solely red and black or red, blue and white color schemes. Additionally, all entries had to be rectangular and have a 2:3 proportion. The Kosovo Symbols Commission eventually selected three designs,[4] which were then voted on by the Assembly of Kosovo (with a two-thirds majority required for approval), when independence was declared after the status talks.[23] The three proposals selected were forwarded to the Assembly on 4 February 2008.[24]
[edit] The proposals and final choice
- Blue field with a white map of Kosovo surrounded by five stars. The stars vary in size and represent the different ethnic groups that reside in Kosovo. The largest star would represent ethnic Albanians.[22]
- A vertical tricolour of black, white and red.[25]
- A vertical tricolour of black, white and red with a spiral (Dardanian symbol of the rotating sun) in the center of the white stripe.[25]
The assembly voted on 17 February 2008 to use a variant of the first proposal. The modified version has an additional star, makes the stars equal in size, switches the colors of the stars and map, makes the map bigger, and arranges the stars in a curve above the map.[6]
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Final flag, as chosen by Assembly on 17 February 2008 |
 Original proposal of the adopted flag design. |
 Alternative proposal |
 Alternative proposal |
[edit] Other proposals
Ibrahim Rugova, the first president of Kosovo introduced the "flag of Dardania" on October 29, 2000. The flag was blue, inscribed with a red disc with a golden ring. Inside the red disc is the Albanian eagle. The eagle is holding a ribbon with the legend "Dardania" inscribed. Dardania is the name of an ancient region in the same general area as Kosovo, but is not officially recognized by any international power.[26] This flag did not gain much popularity,[27] but was occasionally used at cultural and sports events during the UNMIK period and was also used at Rugova's funeral to cover his coffin.[26]
Prior to the declaration of independence, Kosovars displayed a flag featuring a map of Kosovo against a blue and yellow background, similar to the flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.[28]
[edit] See also
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Flags of Kosovo |
- Coat of arms of Kosovo
- Flag of Albania
- Flag of Serbia
- List of flags of Kosovo
- National anthem of Kosovo
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d "LIGJI NR.03/L-132 PËR PROTOKOLLIN E SHTETIT TË REPUBLIKËS SË KOSOVËS" (in Albanian). Gazetën Zyrtare Republika e Kosovës. 2009-04-16. http://www.gazetazyrtare.com/e-gov/tr/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=351&Itemid=28. Retrieved 2009-12-03.
- ^ a b c Fawkes, Helen (2008-02-17). "Kosovo celebrates 'dream come true'". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7249905.stm. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
- ^ "Kosovo MPs proclaim independence". BBC News (British Broadcasting Corporation). 2008-02-17. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7249034.stm. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
- ^ a b Wander, Andrew (2008-02-08). "With independence looming, Kosovo to pick a flag". Christian Science Monitor. http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0208/p25s04-woeu.html. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
- ^ "Prime Minister Thaçi meets designer of Kosova flag Mr. Muhamer Ibrahimi". Office of the Prime Minister of Kosovo. 2008-02-23. http://www.ks-gov.net/pm/Lajme/tabid/62/EntryID/253/Default.aspx. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
- ^ a b Parliament adopted the flag of Kosovo state, Kosovapress, Priština, 17 February 2008.
- ^ a b Reeves, Terri Bryce (2008-02-19). "Former Kosovar leader rejoices from afar". St. Petersburg Times. http://www.sptimes.com/2008/02/19/Northpinellas/Former_Kosovar_leader.shtml. Retrieved 2008-02-19.
- ^ Salihu, Mevlyde (2006-10-19). "OSCE Kosovo Mission helps push for greater integration of minorities". Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. http://www.osce.org/item/21757.html. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
- ^ Judah, Tim (2008-02-22). "Could Balkan break-up continue?". BBC News (British Broadcasting Corporation). http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7256488.stm. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
- ^ "The Republic of Cyprus flag". 2007. http://www.cyprusflag.net/. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
- ^ For sporting events, the Korean Unification Flag uses a map of the Korean peninsula. See: "Unification flag, Arirang tapped for unified Korean team". Kyodo News International. 2001-03-19. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0WDQ/is_2001_March_26/ai_72697302. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
- ^ a b "Kosovo Unity Team announces the COMPETITION FOR THE FLAG AND EMBLEM OF KOSOVO" (PDF). Kosovo Unity Team. 2007-06-13. http://www.kajtazi.info/flag-emblem-kosovo.pdf. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
- ^ a b c "National Flag of Kosovo" (PDF). Office of the Prime Minister of Kosovo. 2008. http://www.kryeministri-ks.net/repository/docs/flamuri_republikes_se_kosoves.pdf. Retrieved 2008-09-23.
- ^ a b "Important information about Flag and Coat of Arms of Republic of Kosovo". Kosovo Thanks You.com. 2009-01-26. http://www.kosovothanksyou.com/news/?p=258. Retrieved 2009-05-17.
- ^ "2008/03-L038 Law on the Use of Kosovo State Symbols" (PDF). Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo. 2008-02-20. http://www.assembly-kosova.org/common/docs/ligjet/2008_03-L038_en.pdf. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
- ^ "Hackers post Kosovo flag on Serb official site". Reuters. 2008-09-12. http://news.ninemsn.com.au/technology/630147/hackers-post-kosovo-flag-on-serb-official-site/?rss=yes. Retrieved 2008-09-21.
- ^ The colors were derived from the CMYK via Inkscape. Note that there is no one single CMYK to RGB conversion (a proper conversion depends on color reproduction characteristics of the chosen medium, the ambient lighting, etc.), and that any program which converts with an uncalibrated monitor as the display medium is not reliable.
- ^ "Documents by Opinion and Study". Venice.coe.int. http://www.venice.coe.int/site/dynamics/N_Opinion_ef.asp?L=E&OID=405. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
- ^ http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=NewsLibrary&p_multi=BBAB&d_place=BBAB&p_theme=newslibrary2&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=1253E137B4C794D8&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM
- ^ Bilefsky, Dan (2008-05-11). "In Serbia, waving the flag but avoiding nationalism". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/11/world/europe/11iht-belgrade.4.12778694.html. Retrieved 2009-12-04.
- ^ "Kosovo Serb sentenced for inciting hatred". Radiotelevizioni i Kosovës (SETimes.com). 2009-11-20. http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/newsbriefs/setimes/newsbriefs/2009/11/20/nb-11. Retrieved 2009-12-04.
- ^ a b "Kosovo to pick a state flag". New Kosova Report. 2008-02-09. http://www.newkosovareport.com/20080209526/Society/Kosovo-to-pick-a-state-flag.html. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
- ^ "Kosovo Starts Selection of its Future Flag and Emblem". Balkan Investigative Reporting Network. 2007-05-07. http://www.birn.eu.com/en/91/15/3504/. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
- ^ "Priština daily speculates on independence date". Beta. 2008-02-05. http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2008&mm=02&dd=05&nav_id=47488. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
- ^ a b Charter, David (2008-02-11). "Wanted: new flag and anthem for Kosovo". Times Online. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article3352529.ece. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
- ^ a b "Kosovo (Province, Serbia) - Dardania (flag of uncertain status)". Flags of the World. 2008-02-23. http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/rs-kosov.html#dar. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
- ^ "Kosovo Television Debate: Kosovar flags and symbols". RTK (Balkan Investigative Reporting Network). 2005-12-21. http://www.birn.eu.com/en/1/50/135/. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
- ^ Pancevski, Bojan (2008-02-26). "Call for calm as Kosovo independence looms". Telegraph.co.uk. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1578877/Call-for-calm-as-Kosovo-independence-looms.html. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
[edit] External links
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