On
the 1st of January 1993 the country formerly known as Czechoslovakia
officially ceased to exist and two new independent states were formed
in its place, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. While
Slovakia adopted a new flag design, the Czech Republic adopted the
flag of the former Czechoslovakia (which first represented
Czechoslovakia in March 1920), on the 1st of January 1993. The
Czech Republic is primarily composed of two former historical regions
of central Europe, Bohemia and Moravia. The red and white of the Czech
Republic flag is derived from the traditional coat of arms of Bohemia,
a white lion on a red field. When
the Czech Republic flag was used by the former Czechoslovakia, the
blue triangle represented Moravia and Slovakia (blue was in both their
coat of arms). With the demise of the Czechoslovakian federation, the
Slovakian connection has been omitted from Czech Republic flag
descriptions and the blue now stands solely for Moravia. |
