Flag of Croatia

Flag of Croatia

Construction sheet: Flag of Croatia
Construction sheet

Description

  • Three horizontal stripes of red, white, and blue — the traditional Pan-Slavic colours — topped by the national coat of arms centred on the white-blue boundary
  • The coat of arms consists of the famous šahovnica, a red-and-white checkerboard shield that has represented Croatia since at least the 15th century
  • Above the shield sits a crown of five smaller historical shields representing Croatia, Dubrovnik, Dalmatia, Istria, and Slavonia
  • The modern flag was first hoisted on 21 December 1990 after the adoption of the Croatian constitution
  • The tricolour without the coat of arms dates to 1848 and the Croatian national movement
  • Construction: three equal horizontal stripes (red, white, blue) in ratio 1:2
  • The coat of arms is centred on the white-blue boundary and its height spans two-thirds of the flag's hoist
  • The šahovnica has 5 rows and 5 columns of alternating red and white fields, beginning with red in the top-left corner

Trivia

  • The šahovnica (checkerboard) shield predates its WWII association by centuries — used since medieval times
  • The checkerboard always starts with a red square in the top-left corner (symbolic rule)
  • The five smaller shields represent Croatia's historical regions: Croatia, Dubrovnik, Dalmatia, Istria, and Slavonia

Flag of Croatia

Croatia's flag features the historic sahovnica (checkerboard shield) at its centre, one of Europe's most distinctive heraldic symbols. The red-and-white checkerboard originated in the late 15th century and became the official coat of arms in 1527. The shield's 25 alternating squares represent historic Croatian regions and territories.

The horizontal stripes of red, white, and blue represent pan-Slavic colours, inspired by the 1848 nationalist uprisings. The checkerboard is crowned by five smaller shields representing Croatia's diverse historical territories: Croatia, Dubrovnik, Dalmatia, Istria, and Slavonia. The flag was officially adopted in its modern form in 1990 upon independence.

json:data 
{
  "g": "europe",
  "ns": "croatia",
  "name": "Croatia",
  "id": "croatia",
  "index": "c/croatia",
  "title": "Flag of Croatia",
  "ratio": "1:2",
  "use": {
    "as": "national flag",
    "since": "1990-12-21"
  },
  "colors": [
    {
      "color": "red",
      "hex": "#DC002E",
      "cmyk": "7/100/90/1",
      "pantone": "186 C",
      "note": "Top stripe; one of three Pan-Slavic colours, historically linked to the medieval Kingdom of Croatia."
    },
    {
      "color": "white",
      "hex": "#FFFFFF",
      "cmyk": "0/0/0/0",
      "note": "Middle stripe; represents peace and the white checks of the šahovnica coat of arms."
    },
    {
      "color": "blue",
      "hex": "#004489",
      "cmyk": "100/83/18/4",
      "pantone": "280 C",
      "note": "Bottom stripe; derives from the Kingdom of Slavonia and represents loyalty."
    },
    {
      "color": "light blue",
      "hex": "#87D0F0",
      "cmyk": "43/2/2/0",
      "pantone": "297 C",
      "note": "Appears in the crown above the coat of arms, representing the historical shield of Dalmatia."
    },
    {
      "color": "yellow",
      "hex": "#FFD300",
      "cmyk": "1/15/99/0",
      "pantone": "116 C",
      "note": "Star and border elements in the crown; represents Istria."
    },
    {
      "color": "black",
      "hex": "#000000",
      "cmyk": "0/0/0/100",
      "pantone": "Black",
      "note": "Goat silhouette in the Istrian shield and eagle outlines in the crown."
    }
  ],
  "desc": "- Three horizontal stripes of red, white, and blue — the traditional Pan-Slavic colours — topped by the national coat of arms centred on the white-blue boundary\n - The coat of arms consists of the famous šahovnica, a red-and-white checkerboard shield that has represented Croatia since at least the 15th century\n - Above the shield sits a crown of five smaller historical shields representing Croatia, Dubrovnik, Dalmatia, Istria, and Slavonia\n - The modern flag was first hoisted on 21 December 1990 after the adoption of the Croatian constitution\n - The tricolour without the coat of arms dates to 1848 and the Croatian national movement\n - **Construction:** three equal horizontal stripes (red, white, blue) in ratio 1:2\n - The coat of arms is centred on the white-blue boundary and its height spans two-thirds of the flag's hoist\n - The šahovnica has 5 rows and 5 columns of alternating red and white fields, beginning with red in the top-left corner",
  "article": "croatia/flag.md",
  "of": {
    "country": "croatia"
  },
  "countryData": {
    "name": "Croatia",
    "officialName": "Republic of Croatia",
    "un": "member"
  },
  "cs": "croatia/flag.cs.svg",
  "trivia": "- The šahovnica (checkerboard) shield predates its WWII association by centuries — used since medieval times\n - The checkerboard always starts with a red square in the top-left corner (symbolic rule)\n - The five smaller shields represent Croatia's historical regions: Croatia, Dubrovnik, Dalmatia, Istria, and Slavonia",
  "flag": "croatia/flag.svg",
  "_name": "Croatia",
  "_namespace": "croatia",
  "_namePart": ""
}
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