Flag of Åland
Officially Åland Islands
What the flag looks like
A blue field with a yellow Nordic cross, inside which runs a narrower red Nordic cross.
What it means
Blue and yellow come from the flag of Sweden, reflecting the islands' Swedish language and culture, while red and yellow are the colors of Finland's coat of arms.
How to remember it
Åland
is Sweden's
flag with a red cross threaded through the middle of the yellow one: Swedish colors, Finnish red.
Fun facts
- Åland is demilitarised and, under a 1921 League of Nations decision, belongs to Finland while keeping wide self-government and Swedish as its only official language.
- It issues its own postage stamps and has its own internet domain, .ax.
Åland at a glance
- Status
- Autonomous region of Finland
- Sovereign state
- Finland
- Capital
- Mariehamn
- Region
- Autonomous region of Finland
- Population
- 30,500
- Area
- 1,580 km²
- Languages
- Swedish
- Currency
- Euro (€)
- Flag adopted
- 1954
Flags often confused with Åland
- Sweden: Åland and Sweden are both a yellow Nordic cross on blue. Åland adds a red cross inside the yellow one; Sweden's cross is plain yellow.