Flag of Romania

Acquired last December 27, 1989, the flag of Romania boasts of its three colors that are incorporated in the flag in equal sizes of vertical stripes. The three vertical stripes include blue (left), red (right), and yellow (middle). These three colors are of great importance in Romania. Each color has actually specific connotations. The colors signify the two princedoms of Moldavia and Walachia that are united in 1859 to finally establish Romania. Blue, red, and yellow can also be found the coat of arms of these provinces, which is why they are included on the official flag of Romania.

Because the union of Moldavia and Walachia is the main reason why Romania was established, the colors that are used by the two former states in their coat of arms were also utilized in the creation of its national flag. However, the flag was not yet on its vertical stripes form before 1989.

In 1848, a horizontal stripe version of these colors was introduced by Romanian nationalists and this version had been used as the country’s original flag during that time. The original version of the flag was presented with red on its top, yellow on the middle and blue at the bottom. But because of the influence of the French flag, the Romanian flag was changed into a vertical design in 1867.

In 1878, a year after Romania obtained freedom from the Ottoman Empire, the flag was used as Romania’s national flag. From that moment until the year 1989, the coat of arms of Romania was embossed at the center of the flag. However, in December 1989, the coat of arms was removed and the flag was left with the three historical colors. This flag is being used up until the present. The flag in Romania is almost similar to that of the Moldovan flag. The only distinguishing mark is that Moldova embossed its coat of arms into its flag.