Flag of Lithuania
Europe
Quick Facts
- Capital
- Vilnius
- Flag adopted
- 2004
- Population
- 2,894,886
- Area
- 65,300 km²
- Languages
- Lithuanian
- Currency
- euro (€) — EUR
- Demonym
- Lithuanian
- Government
- semi-presidential republic
- Subregion
- Northern Europe
- Driving side
- Right
- Timezones
- UTC+02:00
- Independence
- 1918
Religions
- Roman Catholic 74.2%
- Unspecified 13.7%
- None 6.1%
- Russian Orthodox 3.7%
- Other 0.9%
- Old Believer 0.6%
- Evangelical Lutheran 0.6%
- Evangelical Reformist 0.2%
About This Flag
The flag of Lithuania consists of three equal horizontal bands of yellow on top, green in the middle, and red on the bottom. The yellow represents the golden fields of wheat and the sun, green symbolizes the lush forests and countryside as well as hope, and red stands for the blood shed for Lithuanian independence and the courage of the people.
The tricolor was first adopted in 1918 when Lithuania declared independence and was restored on March 20, 1990, as Lithuania became the first Soviet republic to declare independence from the USSR. The proportions were modified and the shades adjusted in 2004 to create the current standardized version.
What the colors & design mean
Yellow represents the sun, light, prosperity, and the golden wheat fields. Green symbolizes the forests, countryside, freedom, and hope for the future. Red represents the land, courage, and the blood shed for Lithuanian sovereignty.
Pattern: Horizontal Stripes
Bordering countries (4)
Fun Facts
- Lithuania was the first Soviet republic to declare independence on March 11, 1990, and the restoration of the national tricolor was a powerful symbol of that declaration.
- In the medieval period, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was one of the largest states in Europe, stretching from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea.
- The Hill of Crosses near Siauliai, Lithuania, contains over 200,000 crosses placed by pilgrims and has been bulldozed by Soviet authorities at least three times — each time, the crosses were replanted by the people.
- Lithuania's 2004 flag update primarily changed the shade of yellow from a golden amber to a brighter yellow and adjusted the flag's proportions from 1:2 to 3:5.
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