Russia Flags

Flag of Russia

The modern Russian flag is one of the oldest designs to be in use in modern Europe, but it has not been used consistently since it was first adopted. Russia underwent many political changes over the course of the 20th century, and most of those political changes came with new flags.

• Capital of Russia: Moscow
• Area of Russia: 16,995,800 sq. km
• Languages used in Russia: Russian
• Religions in Russia: Russian Orthodox, Muslim

Colors and Symbolism of the European Russia Flag

The current Russian flag is a horizontal tricolor of white, blue, and red. The government of Russia has not explained the symbolic meanings of the colors, but the people of Russia have supplied their own interpretation. The white band is a symbol of both honesty and generosity, the blue band represents wisdom and loyalty, and the red band stands for courage and love. The three colors also reflect the three largest ethnic groups in Russia. Blue represents the Ukrainian people, red represents the Russian people, and white stands for the Belarusians.

History of the European Russia Flag

The European Russia flag was first adopted in 1696, but it was originally reserved for use on ships. The flag's origins are difficult to prove, but the majority of stories say that they came from the flag of the Dutch Republic. Dutch shipwrights played a large role in the development of the Russian navy during that period, and they introduced naval flags to Russia at the same time. The Russian government wanted to follow the customs of the rest of Europe and fly flags on their ships, so they adapted the Dutch flag to meet their needs. The flag only represented the navy at that time, while the Russian Empire used a different flag. The Imperial flag was a horizontal tricolor of blue, yellow, and white, which was adopted in 1853 and fell out use in 1883. The naval flag spread to the Russian army at approximately the same time.

The flag was replaced when revolutionary communists succeeded in overthrowing the Russian monarchy. The new European Russia flag had a solid red field with a gold emblem in the canton. It was first adopted in 1918, but the emblem on the flag changed regularly until the fall of the Soviet Union. Russia adopted the modern flag in 1993 after the communist government left power, and it has used it ever since.