Official Palette
Symbolism
Blue represents the Atlantic Ocean, white represents the ice and snow covering the island, and red represents the fire of the island's volcanoes. The design is a Nordic cross.
History
Adopted on June 19, 1915, to represent Iceland as a territory of Denmark. It became the national flag when Iceland became a republic in 1944.
Construction
A 18:25 ratio. A blue field with a white-edged red Nordic cross.
Color Meanings
Country Facts
- Population
- 391.8K
<0.1% of Europe
- Capital
- Reykjavik
- Languages
- Icelandic
- Continent
- Europe
- Subregion
- Scandinavia
- Landlocked
- Island state
- ISO 3166-1
- IS
Flag Identification
- Adopted
- June 17, 1944
- Proportions
18:25 (≈1.389)
- Total Colors
- 3
- Key Symbols
- Cross
Influences
Lookalike Comparison
Side-by-side analysis of high-confusion flags, comparing exact color shades, proportions, and historical divergence.
Direct Lookalike Comparison
Quick Tell
Iceland is a blue field with a white-bordered red cross; Norway is a red field with a white-bordered blue cross.
Color Shades & Hex Codes
Iceland: Blue
#02529C
Norway: Red
#BA0C2F
Historical Divergence
Iceland's blue-white-red cross became the republic's flag in 1944. Norway's Meltzer design is older (1821; civil flag without the union mark from 1899).
Flags with resemblance
Same Nordic cross with a white outline. Norway is a red field with a blue cross; Iceland is a blue field with a red cross.
Related flags
Flag Protocol
- The red cross must be outlined in white
- The colors are an inversion of the Norwegian flag
Practice
Think you know the flags of Europe? Test your recognition in a quick practice round.