| Colors | HEX Code | RGB | CMYK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | #0072CE | 0, 114, 206 | 100, 45, 0, 19 |
| Black | #000000 | 0, 0, 0 | 0, 0, 0, 100 |
| White | #FFFFFF | 255, 255, 255 | 0, 0, 0, 0 |
The Estonian flag is made of three equal horizontal stripes colored blue on top, black in the middle, and white in the bottom.
Meaning of the Estonian Flag
The blue represents the clear sky, the Baltic Sea, and the freshwater lakes. The black represents the fertile soil and the dark thick forests, and the hardships that the Estonian people faced. The white color represents the winter snow.
History of the Estonian Flag
Estonia was part of the Russian Empire, but the Estonians became aware of the need to preserve their culture and identity after centuries of Russian and German occupation. Fraternities and student societies were formed also. Vironia was a student society that was established at the University of Tartu. The Estonian flag was inspired by the poet Martin Lipp, who wrote a poem praising the black-white-cornflower blue flag of Estonia. In 1881, Vironia adopted the blue-black-white flag. The flag gained national significance as it was used at the beginning of the 20th century by nationalists who fought against Russian domination. On February 4, 1918, the flag was officially adopted after Estonia gained its independence. Then it was officially recognized by the constitution in 1920. Estonia was invaded by the Soviet Union in 1940. The Soviet flag replaced the Estonian one, and the national symbols of Estonia were heavily restricted. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the flag of independence was officially re-adopted on August 7, 1990.