![Flag of Swedish-speaking Finns](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Flag_of_Swedish-speaking_Finns.svg)
![Brevmarke 200](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Brevmarke_200.jpg)
The flag of the Swedish-speaking Finns is an unofficial red
flag
A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...
with a yellow
cross
A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...
used in the
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
-speaking parts of
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
to represent the
Finland-Swedes.
It may be flown in addition to the
Finnish blue and white flag. This flag is unfamiliar to many in Finland but there have been attempts to introduce it again to a broader audience as what is known as "
household pennants" (Finnish ''isännänviirit'', Swedish ''husbondsvimplar'') demonstrating one's identity as Swedish-speaking, are more common
and can be seen on many flagpoles in areas where there live many Swedish-speaking Finns, especially in countryside.
The flag may have been used in the 16th century,
As such, the flag is based on a proposal to
civil ensign
A civil ensign is an ensign (maritime flag) used by civilian vessels to denote their nationality. It can be the same or different from the state ensign and the naval ensign (or war ensign). It is also known as the merchant ensign or merchant flag. ...
put forward by the Senate flag committee in 1917. This proposal included nine white roses in the upper left corner. It also contains the same colours as one of the candidates for the Finnish flag on independence in 1917 and may even have been a proposal for the state flag itself.
The current blue and white state flag became official on 28 May 1918.
The colours are traditional and based on the red and yellow of the
Finnish coat of arms (and can, for example, also be seen in the coat of arms of
Southwest Finland
Southwest Finland, calqued as Finland Proper ( fi, Varsinais-Suomi ; sv, Egentliga Finland), is a region in the southwest of Finland. It borders the regions of Satakunta, Pirkanmaa, Tavastia Proper (Kanta-Häme), Uusimaa, and Åland. The regi ...
).
The cross design symbolises the unity with the other
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; literal translation, lit. 'the North') are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It includes the sovereign states of Denmar ...
.
There are probably no official decision on the cross width but a width of not less than that of the Swedish flag, (i.e. 5:2:9 horizontally and vertically 4:2:4) and not more than that of Finland (i.e. 5:3:10 horizontally and 4:3:4 vertically) should apply. It has rectangular boxes rather than squares in the internal corners of the hoist. The flag is similar to
that of Scania, but it is more oblong and has a broader and less centred cross.
Household pennants of Swedish-speaking areas of Finland
See also
*
Flag of Scania
Flag of Scania refers to two different flags, of which one is a banner of the provincial coat of arms featuring a griffin head, and the other is a flag with a Scandinavian cross, the Scanian Cross Flag. They both are used as a provincial flag re ...
*
Flag of the Kalmar Union
Kalmar (, , ) is a city in the southeast of Sweden, situated by the Baltic Sea. It had 36,392 inhabitants in 2010 and is the seat of Kalmar Municipality. It is also the capital of Kalmar County, which comprises 12 municipalities with a total of ...
*
Flag of the Nasjonal Samling
References
{{Reflist, 2
Swedish-Speaking Finns
The Swedish-speaking population of Finland (whose members are called by many names; fi, suomenruotsalainen) can be used as an attribute., group=Note—see below; sv, finlandssvenskar; fi, suomenruotsalaiset) is a linguistic minority in Fin ...
Nordic Cross flags
Swedish-speaking population of Finland
Swedish-Speaking Finns
The Swedish-speaking population of Finland (whose members are called by many names; fi, suomenruotsalainen) can be used as an attribute., group=Note—see below; sv, finlandssvenskar; fi, suomenruotsalaiset) is a linguistic minority in Fin ...
Swedish-Speaking Finns
The Swedish-speaking population of Finland (whose members are called by many names; fi, suomenruotsalainen) can be used as an attribute., group=Note—see below; sv, finlandssvenskar; fi, suomenruotsalaiset) is a linguistic minority in Fin ...