Flag of Russia
Officially Russian Federation
Locally Rossiya · Россия
What the flag looks like
Three equal horizontal stripes of white, blue and red.
What it means
There is no official meaning; a common interpretation is white for nobility and frankness, blue for faithfulness, and red for courage.
How to remember it
Russia
is plain white-blue-red from the top; Slovakia
and Slovenia
add shields, and Serbia
turns it upside down.
Fun facts
- The white-blue-red tricolor dates back to the late 17th century and is often linked to Peter the Great.
- Russia celebrates National Flag Day on 22 August.
Russia at a glance
- Capital
- Moscow
- Region
- Eastern Europe
- Population
- 144 million
- Area
- 17,098,242 km²
- Languages
- Russian
- Currency
- Russian ruble (₽)
- Flag adopted
- 1993
Flags often confused with Russia
- Slovakia: Russia and Slovakia are both white, blue and red horizontal stripes. Slovakia has a red shield with a white double cross on the hoist side; Russia's flag is plain.
- Slovenia: Russia and Slovenia are both white, blue and red horizontal stripes. Slovenia has a small blue shield with a white mountain in the upper hoist; Russia's flag is plain.
- Serbia: Serbia and Russia both use red, blue and white horizontal stripes. Serbia has red on top and a coat of arms; Russia has white on top and no emblem.