Flag of the Faroe Islands

The flag of the Faroe Islands is an offset cross, representing Christianity. It is similar in design to other Nordic flags – a tradition set by the Dannebrog of Denmark,[1][2] of which the Faroe Islands are an autonomous territory.[3]

Faroe Islands

Name	Merkið
Use	National flag and civil ensign
Proportion	8:11
Adopted	25 April 1940
Design	A blue-fimbriated red Nordic cross on a white field
Designed by	Jens Oliver Lisberg

Swallowtailed version of the flag, unofficial, but popular on the Islands

The original flag now hangs in the church of Fámjin

The flag is called Merkið, which means "the banner" or "the mark". It resembles the flags of neighbouring Norway and Iceland.

Description and symbolism

The design of the flag incorporates a red Nordic cross, which is offset to the left. The red cross is fimbriated azure and is set on a white field. The flag design closely resembles that of the Norwegian flag, with the fimbriated cross.

White symbolises the creators of the flag, the foam of the sea and the pure, radiant sky of the Faroe Islands, while the old Faroese blue and red colours are reminiscent of other Scandinavian and Nordic flags; representing the Faroe Islands' bonds with other Nordic countries.[4]

History

The modern Faroese flag was devised in 1919 by Jens Oliver Lisberg and others while they were studying in Copenhagen. The first time Merkið was raised in the Faroe Islands was on 22 June that year in Fámjin on the occasion of a wedding. On 25 April, 1940, the British occupation government approved the flag for use by Faroese vessels, during the tenure of Carl Aage Hilbert as Danish prefect. Britain did not want the same flag as German-occupied Denmark to be used. April 25 is still celebrated as Flaggdagur and it is a national holiday. With the Home Rule Act of 23 March, 1948, the flag was recognized by the Danish Government as the national flag of the Faroes. The original flag is displayed in the church of Fámjin in Suðuroy.

• 
  The flag of the Union of Kalmar, of which the Faroes were part.
• 
  The flag of Denmark, was used before the Faroese flag became official.
• 
  The old flag.
• 
  Current Faroese flag.

Merkið at Funningur, Eysturoy

See also

• Flag of Denmark
• Flag of Greenland
• List of flags of Denmark
• Nordic Cross flag
• Raven banner

Notes

1. Andrew Evans (2008). Iceland. Bradt. ISBN 9781841622156. Retrieved 2007-12-31. Legend states that a red cloth with the white cross simply fell from the sky in the middle of the 13th-century Battle of Valdemar, after which the Danes were victorious. As a badge of divine right, Denmark flew its cross in the other Scandinavian countries it ruled and as each nation gained independence, they incorporated the Christian symbol.
2. The Australian Flag: Colonial Relic or Contemporary Icon. William Gaunt & Sons. 2010. ISBN 978-9004181489. Retrieved 2007-12-31. The Christian cross, for instance, is one of the oldest and most widely used symbols in the world, and many European countries, such as the United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Greece and Switzerland, adopted and currently retain the Christian cross on their national flags.
3. • Benedikter, Thomas (2006-06-19). "The working autonomies in Europe". Society for Threatened Peoples. Archived from the original on 2008-03-09. Retrieved 2019-08-30. Denmark has established very specific territorial autonomies with its two island territories
   • Ackrén, Maria (November 2017). "Greenland". Autonomy Arrangements in the World. Archived from the original on 2019-08-30. Retrieved 2019-08-30. Faroese and Greenlandic are seen as official regional languages in the self-governing territories belonging to Denmark.
   • "Facts about the Faroe Islands". Nordic cooperation. Archived from the original on 23 April 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2015. The Faroe Islands [...] is one of three autonomous territories in the Nordic Region
4. Smith/Neubecker: Wappen und Flaggen aller Nationen. München 1981; ISBN 3-87045-183-1

References

• Faroe Islands at Flags of the World