Flag of the Faroe Islands
Locally Føroyar
What the flag looks like
A white field with a red Nordic cross edged in blue, its vertical arm set towards the hoist.
What it means
White stands for the foam of the sea and the bright Faroese sky, while red and blue are traditional Faroese colors.
How to remember it
The Faroes
are the Nordic cross on a white background: Iceland
and Norway
put their cross on blue or red, but Merkið's field is white like sea foam.
Fun facts
- The flag, called Merkið ("the banner"), was designed by Faroese students in Copenhagen and first raised in 1919.
- British authorities recognized it on 25 April 1940 during the wartime occupation, and the date is now celebrated as Flag Day.
Faroe Islands at a glance
- Status
- Autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark
- Sovereign state
- Denmark
- Capital
- Tórshavn
- Region
- Autonomous territory of Denmark
- Population
- 54,700
- Area
- 1,399 km²
- Languages
- Faroese, Danish
- Currency
- Danish krone (kr)
- Flag adopted
- 1948
Flags often confused with the Faroe Islands
- Iceland: The Faroe Islands and Iceland both have a red Nordic cross edged with the other color. The Faroes have a white field with a blue edge around the cross; Iceland has a blue field with a white edge.
- Norway: The Faroe Islands and Norway both use a red, white and blue Nordic cross. The Faroes have a red cross edged in blue on white; Norway has a blue cross edged in white on red.