Flag of Finland
Officially Republic of Finland
Locally Suomi
What the flag looks like
A white field with a blue Nordic cross extending to the edges, its vertical arm shifted towards the hoist.
What it means
Blue is commonly linked to Finland's lakes and sky, and white to snow; the cross is a shared Nordic and Christian symbol.
How to remember it
A blue cross on snow-white: Finland's
'blue cross flag' is the only Nordic cross on a white background; Greece
keeps its cross in a corner of stripes.
Fun facts
- In Finnish the flag is called 'Siniristilippu', literally 'blue cross flag'.
- Finland has about 188,000 lakes, earning it the nickname 'land of a thousand lakes'.
Finland at a glance
- Capital
- Helsinki
- Region
- Northern Europe
- Population
- 5.6 million
- Area
- 338,424 km²
- Languages
- Finnish, Swedish
- Currency
- Euro (€)
- Flag adopted
- 1918
Flags often confused with Finland
- Greece: Finland and Greece both use blue and white with a cross. Finland is a single blue cross on white; Greece has blue-and-white stripes with a small white cross in the corner.