National Flag of Slovenia

Proportions: 1:2 Slovenian Flag Description:
The flag of Slovenia consists of three equal sized horizontal stripes. The top stripe is white, the middle blue and the bottom stripe is red. In the upper left corner of the Slovenian flag, centered between the white and blue stripe, is the country's coat of arms which consists of the three-peaked Triglav Mountain, the highest mountain in Slovenia, and three yellow stars.

Slovenian Flag Meaning:
The three stars on the coat of arms symbolize Slovenian independence and were adopted from the arms of the former 15th century Slovenian Duchy of Celje. The duchy unsuccessfully attempted to obtain independence from Austro-Hungarian rule. The two wavy blue lines at the bottom of the mountain represent the country's rivers flowing into the sea. Blue, white and red are traditional Slavic colors and together they make up the pan-Slavic colors. They were initially adopted by Slavic nations in the mid-19th century and were influenced by the flag of Russia; which was an independent Slavic country at the time. The colors now stand for Slavic unity and independence and can be seen in the flags of most Slavic nations.

Slovenian Flag History:
The Slovenian flag was adopted on June 7, 1991. The Slovenian white, blue and red colors originated with Slovenian nationalists in 1848, when Slovenia was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. When the Austro-Hungarian kingdom collapsed after the First World War Slovenia merged with other Slavic states in 1918 to form a union that would become Yugoslavia. Slovenia gained independence from Yugoslavia in 1992.

Interesting Slovenian Flag Facts:
Slovenian artist Marko Pogacnik created the country's coat of arms in 1991.

Because the Slovenian flag is similar to the flags of Russia and Slovakia there have been numerous attempts to change it, but as of October, 2004, no change had occurred.