List of Estonian flags
The national flag of Estonia is a tricolour featuring three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), black, and white. The normal size is 105 × 165 cm. In Estonian it is colloquially called the "sinimustvalge" (literally "blue-black-white"), after the colours of the bands. The flag became associated with Estonian nationalism in the beginning of the 20th century and was used as the national flag (riigilipp) when the Estonian Declaration of Independence was issued on 24 February 1918. The flag was formally adopted on 21 November 1918. On 12 December 1918 the flag was raised for the first time as the national symbol atop of the Pikk Hermann tower in Tallinn.[1]
The following is a list of flags of Estonia.
National flag
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
1918–1940 1944 1988/1990–present |
Flag of Estonia (State flag and civil ensign) | Dimensions are 7:11. |
.svg) |
1918–1940 1944 1988/1990–present |
Flag of Estonia (vertical) |
Standards
Head of state
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
1992–present 1927[2]–1940 |
Presidential standard | National tricolour with the greater coat of arms in the center |
.svg)
|
?–present | Presidential standard (maritime use) | Swallow-tailed tricolour with the greater coat of arms in the center |
Ministers
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
?–present | Defence Minister | National tricolour with the lesser coat of arms off-set to hoist |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
2008–present | Flag of the Estonian Defense Forces | Coat of arms of Estonia in banner form |
|
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
?–present | Flag of the Estonian Land Forces |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1991–present 1926–1940 |
Naval ensign | Swallow-tailed tricolour with the lesser coat of arms in the center |
 |
1991–present 1926–1940 |
Naval jack | Dimension: 7:11 (the saltaire equals 1 part, the George's cross 2 parts) It resembles the Union Jack of the United Kingdom |
|
1991–present 1926–1940 |
Flag of Commander in Chief | |
|
?–present | Rear admiral’s Flag | Flag similar to CinC Armed Forces but without any yellow borders |
|
?–present | Lieutenant general’s Flag | Flag similar to CinC Armed Forces but with yellow edge only at the top |
|
?–present | Major general’s flag | Flag similar to CinC Armed Forces but with yellow edge only along the lower edge |
|
?–present | Chief of Naval Forces | White triangular swallow tailed pennant (broad pennant) with blue "chevron" rising from the hoist and with yellow anchor near the hoist |
|
?–present | Chief of division | The same flag as Chief of Naval Forces, but without the anchor |
|
?–present | Senior Officer Afloat | White triangular pennant with horizontal blue stripe through the middle |
 |
?–present | General Agent of the Navy | National flag with a white square with two crossed anchors in the top canton |
|
?–present 1923–1940 |
Presidential pennant | |
|
?–present | Masthead pennant | White pennant tapering toward the point in the fly from about the half of the length with the national tricolour at hoist |
Air Force
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
.png) |
?–present | State flag of the Estonian Air Force | |
.png) |
?–present | Flag of the Estonian Air Force |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
?–present | Flag of the Defence League (obverse) | |
 |
?–present | Flag of the Defence League (reverse) |
Government flags
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
?–present | Minister of Internal Affairs pennant | |
|
?–present | Border Guard pennant | |
 |
?–present | Police and Border Guard flag | Coat of arms of Police and Border Guard Board in banner form |
 |
1993–present | Flag of the Estonian Internal Security Service | Dark blue field with its coat of arms in the middle, "VIRTUTE ET CONSTANTIA" at the top, and "KAITSEPOLITSEIAMET" (historical), "1993" at the bottom.[3][4] |
 |
1923–present[5] | Border Guard | The letters PV are visible on the national flag which is defaced with green and yellow markings |
| |||
 |
2004–present | Customs flag | |
.svg) |
1923[6]–2004 | Customs flag | National flag with red square bearing caduceus and letter T in the top canton |
Sporting flags
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Flag of Estonian Olympic Committee | A white flag with the logo of Estonian Olympic Committee in the middle. |
Postal flag
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
1994–2009[7] | Postal flag | Flag of Estonia defaced with a post horn |
County flags
Each county of Estonia has adopted a flag, each of them conforming to a pattern: a white half at the top bearing the county's coat of arms in the middle, and a green half at the bottom.
| Flag | Administrative division | Adopted | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
Harju | 1939[8]–present | |
 |
 |
Hiiu | 1996–present | |
 |
 |
Ida-Viru | 1997–present | |
 |
 |
Jõgeva | 1996–present | |
 |
 |
Järva | 1939[8]–present | |
 |
 |
Lääne | 1939[8]–present | |
 |
 |
Lääne-Viru | 1996–present | |
 |
 |
Põlva | 1996–present | |
 |
 |
Pärnu | 1939[8]–present | |
 |
 |
Rapla | 1996–present | |
 |
 |
Saare | 1939[8]–present | |
 |
 |
Tartu | 1939[8]–present | |
 |
 |
Valga | 1939[8]–present | |
 |
 |
Viljandi | 1939[8]–present | |
 |
 |
Võru | 1939[8]–present | |
History
-
![Petseri County (1939[8]–1940)](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1e/Flag_of_Petserimaa.svg/120px-Flag_of_Petserimaa.svg.png)
Petseri County (1939[8]–1940)
![Petseri County (1939[8]–1940)](/wiki/File:Flag_of_Petserimaa.svg)
Municipal flags
Political flags
| Flag | Date | Party |
|---|---|---|
 |
2022–present | Parempoolsed |
 |
2018–present | Estonia 200
Eesti 200 |
 |
2012–present | Conservative People's Party of Estonia
Eesti Konservatiivne Rahvaerakond |
 |
2006–present | Isamaa |
 |
1994–present | Estonian Reform Party
Eesti Reformierakond |
 |
1991–present | Estonian Centre Party
Eesti Keskerakond |
.svg) |
1990–present | Social Democratic Party
Sotsiaaldemokraatlik Erakond |
Flags of ethnic groups
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
?–present | Flag of Setos | |
 |
2003–present | Flag of Votians | |
 |
2013–present | Flag of Võros | |
 |
?–present | Flag of Mulks | |
 |
1918–present | Flag of Baltic Germans | |
 |
1996–present | Flag of Estonian Swedes | [9] |
Historical flags
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
1991–present
1918–1940 |
Flag of the Republic of Estonia | Horizontal blue-black-white triband. |
.svg) |
1953–1990 | Flag of Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic | Red flag with a golden hammer and sickle and outlined star above them in the top-left corner. A band of blue and white water waves in the lower half. |
.svg) |
1944–1953 1940–1941 |
Flag of Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic | Red flag with a golden hammer and sickle in the top-left corner and "ENSV" (Eesti Nõukogude Sotsialistlik Vabariik) written above the hammer and sickle. |
.svg) |
1941-1944 | Flag of German Reich | Red field with a white disc with a black swastika at a 45 degree angle. The swastika disk is slightly off-centre. |
.svg) |
1918 | Flag of German Empire | Horizontal black-white-red triband. |
 |
1896–1917 | Flag of Russian Empire | Horizontal white-blue-red triband. |
 |
1858–1896 | Flag of Russian Empire | Horizontal black-yellow-white triband. |
 |
1650–1721 | Flag of the Duchy of Estonia | |
.svg) |
1561–1650 | Flag of the Duchy of Estonia | |
 |
1587–1629 | Flag of Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania | Tailed red-white-red triband with the coat of arms in the middle. |
 |
1237–1561 | Flag of the State of the Teutonic Order | |
.svg) |
1219–1346 | Flag of the Duchy of Estonia |
Proposed flags
| Flag | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
 |
- |  Proposed Nordic cross flag
|
 |
- | Proposed Nordic cross flag
|
 |
- | Proposed Nordic cross flag
|
 |
1919 | Proposed cross flag
|
 |
1918 | Flag of the United Baltic Duchy |
Other flags
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
1913–1918 | Flag of Rotalia student corporation | A tricolour with horizontal bends of blue, black and green. |
See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Flags of Estonia.
References
- ^ "Estonia's Blue-Black-White Tricolour Flag". Archived from the original on 17 December 2007.
- ^ "VAU - Sisene". www.ra.ee.
- ^ "Eesti". De Rode Leeuw. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
- ^ "Symbols and traditions". Kaitsepolitseiamet. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
- ^ "VAU - Sisene". www.ra.ee.
- ^ "VAU - Sisene". www.ra.ee.
- ^ Postilipu kasutamise korra kinnitamine
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Riigi Teataja 15 august 1939 — DIGAR Eesti artiklid". dea.digar.ee.
- ^ Flag of Noarootsi Parish, because most of the remaining Estonian Swedes in Estonia live in this parish and this flag reflects the Swedish heritage of the region.
