Iceland Flag

Iceland's flag features a red cross outlined in white on a vivid blue field. The cross is offset to the hoist — classic Nordic cross positioning. The colours represent the elements of Iceland's landscape: blue for the Atlantic Ocean, white for the snow and ice, and red for the volcanic fires beneath the surface.

Proportions are 18:25. A version with a swallow-tail is used by the President and state vessels.

Iceland was under Danish rule until 1918. The blue-white-red Nordic cross was first used in 1897 by Icelandic students in Copenhagen, combining Danish red-and-white with Norwegian blue. The flag was formally recognised when Iceland became a sovereign kingdom in personal union with Denmark (1918) and adopted fully in 1944 upon declaring a republic.

The design shares the same three-colour Nordic-cross structure as Norway — reversed: Norway has a red field with a blue-on-white cross; Iceland has a blue field with a red-on-white cross.