Greece Flag

Greece Flag

Greece Flag

Although the history of Greece stretches back for many thousands of years, it did not become a modern state until 1822, during the War of Independence (1821-32), when it declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire, a monarchy being established under Prince Otto of Bavaria. Periods of internal conflict, civil unrest and military coups have marked Greece's modern history, the monarchy being ousted in 1924, before being restored between 1935 and 1973. In 1974, however, a new constitution established the modern, multiparty, democratic Hellenic Republic.

The blue-and-white-striped Greece flag, with a white cross on a blue field in the canton, has been in use since 1822. The nine stripes are said to represent the nine syllables of the Greek patriot's motto: Eleutheria a Thanatos ('Freedom or Death'), while the white cross symbolizes the Greek Orthodox religion. From 1832 to 1833 and also from 1975 to 1978, this Greece flag was replaced (on land) by a simple, white cross on a blue field. The shade of blue has changed over the years, too, from the original light blue to the darker blue that was introduced during the 1970s. The proportions have also changed: originally 2:3, in 1970 a 7:12 ratio was adopted, the flag reverting to 2:3 in 1978, however.