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

FlagDateUseDescription
1918–1940
1944
1988/1990–present		Flag of Estonia (State flag and civil ensign)Dimensions are 7:11.
1918–1940
1944
1988/1990–present		Flag of Estonia (vertical)

Standards

Head of state

FlagDateUseDescription
1992–present
1927[2]–1940		Presidential standardNational tricolour with the greater coat of arms in the center
 ?–presentPresidential standard (maritime use)Swallow-tailed tricolour with the greater coat of arms in the center

Ministers

FlagDateUseDescription
 ?–presentDefence MinisterNational tricolour with the lesser coat of arms off-set to hoist

Military flags

FlagDateUseDescription
2008–presentFlag of the Estonian Defense ForcesCoat of arms of Estonia in banner form

Army

FlagDateUseDescription
 ?–presentFlag of the Estonian Land Forces
FlagDateUseDescription
1991–present
1926–1940		Naval ensignSwallow-tailed tricolour with the lesser coat of arms in the center
1991–present
1926–1940		Naval jackDimension: 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
 ?–presentRear admiral’s FlagFlag similar to CinC Armed Forces but without any yellow borders
 ?–presentLieutenant general’s FlagFlag similar to CinC Armed Forces but with yellow edge only at the top
 ?–presentMajor general’s flagFlag similar to CinC Armed Forces but with yellow edge only along the lower edge
 ?–presentChief of Naval ForcesWhite triangular swallow tailed pennant (broad pennant) with blue "chevron" rising from the hoist and with yellow anchor near the hoist
 ?–presentChief of divisionThe same flag as Chief of Naval Forces, but without the anchor
 ?–presentSenior Officer AfloatWhite triangular pennant with horizontal blue stripe through the middle
 ?–presentGeneral Agent of the NavyNational flag with a white square with two crossed anchors in the top canton
 ?–present
1923–1940		Presidential pennant
 ?–presentMasthead pennantWhite pennant tapering toward the point in the fly from about the half of the length with the national tricolour at hoist

Air Force

FlagDateUseDescription
 ?–presentState flag of the Estonian Air Force
 ?–presentFlag of the Estonian Air Force

Defence League

FlagDateUseDescription
 ?–presentFlag of the Defence League (obverse)
 ?–presentFlag of the Defence League (reverse)

Government flags

FlagDateUseDescription
 ?–presentMinister of Internal Affairs pennant
 ?–presentBorder Guard pennant
 ?–presentPolice and Border Guard flagCoat of arms of Police and Border Guard Board in banner form
1993–presentFlag of the Estonian Internal Security ServiceDark 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 GuardThe letters PV are visible on the national flag which is defaced with green and yellow markings
2004–presentCustoms flag
1923[6]–2004Customs flagNational flag with red square bearing caduceus and letter T in the top canton

Sporting flags

FlagDateUseDescription
Flag of Estonian Olympic CommitteeA white flag with the logo of Estonian Olympic Committee in the middle.

Postal flag

FlagDateUseDescription
1994–2009[7]Postal flagFlag 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.

FlagAdministrative divisionAdoptedDescription
Harju1939[8]–present
Hiiu1996–present
Ida-Viru1997–present
Jõgeva1996–present
Järva1939[8]–present
Lääne1939[8]–present
Lääne-Viru1996–present
Põlva1996–present
Pärnu1939[8]–present
Rapla1996–present
Saare1939[8]–present
Tartu1939[8]–present
Valga1939[8]–present
Viljandi1939[8]–present
Võru1939[8]–present

History

Municipal flags

Political flags

FlagDateParty
2022–presentParempoolsed
2018–presentEstonia 200

Eesti 200

2012–presentConservative People's Party of Estonia

Eesti Konservatiivne Rahvaerakond

2006–presentIsamaa
1994–presentEstonian Reform Party

Eesti Reformierakond

1991–presentEstonian Centre Party

Eesti Keskerakond

1990–presentSocial Democratic Party

Sotsiaaldemokraatlik Erakond

Flags of ethnic groups

FlagDateUseDescription
 ?–presentFlag of Setos
2003–presentFlag of Votians
2013–presentFlag of Võros
?–presentFlag of Mulks
1918–presentFlag of Baltic Germans
1996–presentFlag of Estonian Swedes[9]

Historical flags

FlagDateUseDescription
1953–1990Flag of Estonian Soviet Socialist RepublicRed 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.
1944–1953
1940–1941		Flag of Estonian Soviet Socialist RepublicRed flag with a golden hammer and sickle in the top-left corner and "ENSV" (Eesti Nõukogude Sotsialistlik Vabariik) written above the hammer and sickle.
1918–1919

(50 days)

Flag of the Estonian Workers' CommuneA red flag with a golden canton. Inside the canton, the texts meaning "Estonian Workers' Commune", separated by a red line:
Estonian: "Eesti Töörahva Kommuun";
Russian: "Эстляндская трудовая коммуна" ("Estlyandskaya Trudovaya Kommuna").

On the red filed there are also white Russian inspections "НА БАРИКАДЫ ЭСТОНСКИЙ ПРОЛЕТАРИАТ" "ЗА СОВЕТСКУЮ ЭСТЛЯНДИЮ ВЕЛИКУЮ ВОЛГУ, УРАЛ, СИБИРЬ ЗА ИМЯ III КОММУНИСТИЧЕСКАГО ИНТЕРНАЦИОНАЛА" which means "On the barricades is the Estonian proletariat. For Soviet Estonia, the great Volga, Ural and Siberia In the name of the third Communist International".[10]

1941-1944Flag of German ReichRed field with a white disc with a black swastika at a 45 degree angle. The swastika disk is slightly off-centre.
1918Flag of German EmpireHorizontal black-white-red triband.
1896–1917Flag of Russian EmpireHorizontal white-blue-red triband.
1858–1896Flag of Russian EmpireHorizontal black-yellow-white triband.
1650–1721Flag of the Duchy of Estonia under Sweden
1561–1650Flag of the Duchy of Estonia under Sweden
1570–1579Flag of the Kingdom of Livonia
1587–1629Flag of The Polish–Lithuanian CommonwealthVersion with additional arms of the House of Wasa.
1569–1587Flag of The Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of LithuaniaTailed red-white-red triband with the coat of arms in the middle.
1559–1645Flag of the Duchy of Estonia under Denmark–Norway
1456–1523Kalmar UnionEmblems of the Kalmar Union
1237–1561Flag of the State of the Teutonic OrderWhite flag with a black cross. Readopted by short-lived United Baltic Duchy in 1918.
1300–1346Flag of the Duchy of Estonia under The Kingdom of Denmark

Proposed flags

FlagDateDescription
-Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag Proposed Nordic cross flag
-Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag Proposed Nordic cross flag
-Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag Proposed Nordic cross flag
1919Small vexillological symbol or pictogram in black and white showing the different uses of the flag Proposed cross flag
1918Flag of the United Baltic Duchy

Other flags

FlagDateUseDescription
1913–1918Flag of Rotalia student corporationA tricolour with horizontal bends of blue, black and green.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Flags of Estonia.

References

  1. ↑ "Estonia's Blue-Black-White Tricolour Flag". Archived from the original on 17 December 2007.
  2. ↑ "VAU - Sisene". www.ra.ee.
  3. ↑ "Eesti". De Rode Leeuw. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Symbols and traditions". Kaitsepolitseiamet. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  5. ↑ "VAU - Sisene". www.ra.ee.
  6. ↑ "VAU - Sisene". www.ra.ee.
  7. ↑ Postilipu kasutamise korra kinnitamine
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Riigi Teataja 15 august 1939 — DIGAR Eesti artiklid". dea.digar.ee.
  9. ↑ 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.
  10. ↑ "Estonia in the Soviet Union (early flags)". Flag of the World. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
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