National Flag of the Hellenic Republic (1978)

The flag of Greece (called Hellas in Greek), officially known as the Hellenic Republic, dates back to the Greek revolutionary war against the the Ottoman Turks early in the 19th century.

In 1822, the newly established Greek government adopted the first blue and white striped Greek flag, incorporating a Christian cross in the upper hoist.

The striped flag with white cross was mainly used as a maritime ensign or for official government use. On land a square flag with a white cross on a blue field (the canton of the current Greek flag) was used for many years.

The use of two national flags existed until 1970, when the square cross design was abolished. It re-appeared in 1974 and was the only Greek flag between June 1975 and December 1978.

While the basic design of the striped Greek flag has remained constant, the shade of the blue has altered a number of times. 

The current national flag dates from the 22nd of December 1978.

The Symbolic Meaning

Blue symbolises the sea and sky and white represents the purity of the Greek struggle for independence and for freedom.

The nine stripes (five blue and four white) are believed to relate to the nine syllables of the Greek revolutionary motto Eleutheria i Thanatos, which translates to 'Liberty or Death'.

The white cross represents Christianity and the religious faith of the Greek people.