Use | National flag and ensign (Obverse shown) |
---|---|
Proportion | 1:2 |
Adopted | 6 November 1990 (standardized 2010) |
Design | A vertical tricolour of blue, yellow and red; charged with the coat of arms centered on the yellow band. |
The national flag of the Republic of Moldova (Romanian : Drapelul Moldovei) is a vertical triband of blue, yellow, and red, charged with the coat of arms of Moldova (an eagle holding a shield charged with an aurochs) on the centre bar. The reverse is mirrored. The flag ratio is 1:2. Until further provisions, the State Flag of Moldova is used as the national flag and ensign as well; that is, civil, state and war flag and ensign. [1] [2]
The blue-yellow-red tricolour of Moldova is inspired by the flag of Romania, reflecting the two countries' national and cultural affinity. On Moldova's flag, the yellow stripe is charged with the national arms. Like the Romanian coat of arms, the Moldovan arms, adopted in 1990, features a dark golden eagle holding an Orthodox Christian cross in its beak. Instead of a sword, the eagle is holding an olive branch, symbolising peace. The blue and red shield on the eagle's chest is charged with the traditional symbols of Moldova: an aurochs' head, flanked by a rose in dexter and a crescent in sinister and having a star between its horns, all of gold. These two national flags are also very similar to the flags of Chad and Andorra, which are all based on vertical stripes of blue, yellow, and red.
Until 2010, the color shades of the Moldavian flag were not explicitly named. The Regulation regarding the flag stated that the colors of the flag must match the ones shown in the annex. Moldavian heraldist and vexillologist Silviu Andrieș-Tabac stated in an interview [3] that in 1990, when the flag was being created, "it was taken into account that many countries have similar tricolor flags. As a result, it was decided to abandon the ultramarine blue, which is present on the Romanian flag, in favor of the emerald-blue, used on the mural paintings of Voroneț monastery...".
The French Album des pavillons nationaux et des marques distinctives (2000) by Armand du Payrat and Daniel Roudaut had suggested the following Pantone nuances, including those of the coat of arms: blue 549, yellow 143, red 186, green 340 and brown 464. [4]
However, a new law from 2010 defined the colors of the flag as Berlin blue, chrome yellow and vermillon red. The exact matches, according to annex no. 2, are as follows:
Color space | Blue | Yellow | Red | Brown | Green |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pantone | 293c | 109c | 186c | 4645c | 3415c |
CMYK | 97.81.0.0 | 1.15.100.0 | 13.100.90.4 | 0.28.48.30 | 100.26.86.14 |
RGB | 0-70-174 | 255-210-0 | 204-9-47 | 176-126-91 | 0-122-80 |
HTML | #0046AE | #FFD200 | #CC092F | #B07E5B | #007A50 |
In 2010 four new governmental standards, derived from the state flag, were established. The standard of the minister of defense has yet to be defined, its temporary replacement being the state flag. The other three standards, of the president, president of the Parliament and prime minister, are described as follows:
A square flag with the coat of arms of Moldova on center, whose aquila is golden (instead of dark gold, or brown). The flag has a border of squares, each one measuring 1⁄9 of the flag's width and following the pattern blue-yellow-red-yellow. The background of the flag is purple for the president, red for the president of the Parliament and blue for the prime minister.
The original flags are kept in their respective offices. Duplicates are hoisted on the official residences when the people entitled to them are inside; also on their respective cars.
The design of the standard of the minister of defense and regulations concerning its use is also provided for by Decree No. 1194 of 17 June 2014. [5]
Several governmental organizations have flags established by parliamentary or governmental decisions:
Use | War flag |
---|---|
Proportion | 2:3 |
Adopted | 28 March 1991 (?) |
Design | A blue cloth, bearing a red cross within a larger yellow cross. On the front of the cloth, in the center, lies the Emblem of the National Army. The reverse of the flag has the chromatic layout and features in the center the army motto in golden letters: Romanian: "Pentru Onoare! Pentru Patrie! Pentru Tricolor!" (For Honour! For Country! For the Tricolour!) |
The flag of the National Army of the Republic of Moldova represents a unique military vexillologic insignia. It is the symbol of the military glory, of the tradition and continuity, honor and loyalty of the soldiers and officers to the country. [11]
The cloth of the flag has the same chromatics as the state flag of the Republic of Moldova. Its partition reminds of the old Moldavian military flags, from 1834 to 1863. The red central cross reminds of Saint George, the patron and protector of the medieval Moldavian army. The motto "Pentru Onoare! Pentru Patrie! Pentru Tricolor!" represents the belief of the Moldovan soldiers.
The military colours of the Moldavian Army units consists of the state flag, measuring 825×1650 mm, with golden fringes and tassels, having the unit's battle cry inscribed on obverse, above the coat of arms, and the unit's name on reverse, below the coat of arms. The flag is fixed on a wooden rod, measuring 2500 mm, with a standard pole on top. [12] Previous regulation, which hasn't been explicitly repealed in 2010, described the inscriptions on the flag as follows: on obverse, above the coat of arms, "PENTRU PATRIA NOASTRĂ" (For our Fatherland), and below "REPUBLICA MOLDOVA" (Republic of Moldova); on reverse, above the coat of arms, the unit's name. [13]
The military colours, as well as their regulations, are issued by decree of the president of Moldova.
The military colours of the units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are reproducing the state flag, with golden fringes and tassels, having the motto "PENTRU PATRIE" (For Fatherland) inscribed on obverse, above the coat of arms, and the text "MINISTERUL AFACERILOR INTERNE AL REPUBLICII MOLDOVA" (The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Moldova) on reverse, below the top margin. Also, on reverse, above the coat of arms, is inscribed the name of the unit, all letters being embroidered with golden thread. [14]
Since April 2010, the Flag Day of Moldova is celebrated on 27 April each year. [15] On this day in 1990, the tricolor was officially adopted by the Supreme Soviet of the Moldavian SSR as the state flag of the country.
The current flag of Moldova was created in 1990 and is based on the national colors of Romanians, the blue-yellow-red tricolor. The reverse side differed from the Romanian flag in proportion, and by having a lighter blue.
The flag of Moldova was one of the national flags with differing obverse and reverse sides [16] — the others being the flags of Paraguay. Although the reverse of the flag was officially stated as not containing any coat of arms, Moldovan flags with a coat of arms printed on the reverse were also used.
On 26 November 2010, a new law regarding the State Flag of Moldova became effective. One of the most important provisions has the reverse defined as a mirrored image of the obverse.
The flags of the Moldavian Democratic Republic (MDR) and some of the proposed flags for the Republic of Moldova display the head of an aurochs, which is derived from the flag and coat of arms of Moldavia.
A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation. It is flown by the government of that nation, but can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours and symbols, which may also be used separately from the flag as a symbol of the nation. The design of a national flag is sometimes altered after the occurrence of important historical events. The burning or destruction of a national flag is a greatly symbolic act.
The national flag of Romania is a tricolour. The Constitution of Romania states that "The flag of Romania is tricolour; the colours are arranged vertically in the following order from the flagpole: blue, yellow, red". The flag has a width-length ratio of 2:3; the proportions, shades of colour as well as the flag protocol were established by law in 1994, and extended in 2001. Its similarity to the flag of Chad has caused international discussion.
The State Flag of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, or simply the Soviet flag, was a red banner with two communist symbols displayed in the canton: a gold hammer and sickle topped off by a red five-point star bordered in gold. The flag's design and symbolism are derived from several sources, but emerged during the Russian Revolution. It has also come to serve as the standard symbol representing communism as a whole, recognized as such in international circles, even after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
The national flag of Ecuador, which consists of horizontal bands of yellow, blue and red, was first adopted by law in 1835 and later on 26 September 1860. The design of the current flag was finalized in 1900 with the addition of the coat of arms in the center of the flag. Before using the yellow, blue and red tricolor, Ecuador's former flag had three light blue stripes and two white stripes with three white stars for each province of the country.The design of the flag is very similar to those of Colombia and Venezuela, which are also former constituent territories of Gran Colombia. All three are based on a proposal by Venezuelan General Francisco de Miranda, which was adopted by Venezuela in 1811 and later Gran Colombia with some modifications. There is a variant of the flag that does not contain the coat of arms that is used by the merchant marine. This flag matches Colombia's in every aspect, but Colombia uses a different design when her merchant marine ships are at sail.
The flag of Paraguay was first adopted in 1842. Its design, a red–white–blue triband, was inspired by the colours of the French Tricolour, believed to signify independence and liberty. The flag is unusual because it differs on its obverse and reverse sides: the obverse of the flag shows the national coat of arms, and the reverse shows the seal of the treasury. It is the only national flag worldwide that has a unique design on each side. The flag consists of the same three horizontal colours as the flag of the Netherlands, which in turn was the inspiration for the French flag. It was revised in 2013 to bring the flag towards its original design. It has a ratio of 11:20.
The flag of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic was adopted on 31 January 1952. The flag has three horizontal bands of red, green (1/4) and red, with a hammer and sickle in the canton. As defined by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic on the flag description:
The national flag of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic consists of a panel of red color with a green stripe in the middle of the whole flag length, with the image on top of the red part of the flag from the flagpole golden hammer and sickle above a five-pointed red star framed by gold border. The ratio of the flag's width to its length is 1:2 with the bandwidth of green to the width of the flag 1:4
A red star, five-pointed and filled, is a symbol that has often historically been associated with communist ideology, particularly in combination with the hammer and sickle, but is also used as a purely socialist symbol in the 21st century. It has been widely used in flags, state emblems, monuments, ornaments, and logos.
The flags of the Soviet Socialist Republics were all defaced versions of the flag of the Soviet Union, which featured a golden hammer and sickle and a gold-bordered red star on a red field.
In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours, standards, flags, or guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt some 5,000 years ago. The Roman Empire also made battle standards reading SPQR a part of their vast armies. It was formalized in the armies of Europe in the High Middle Ages, with standards being emblazoned with the commander's coat of arms.
The following is a list of historical military colours, standards and guidons in different countries that do not exist today.
Transnistria is a region in Eastern Europe that is under the effective control of the Russian-backed Pridnestrovian Moldovan Republic but is recognized by the international community as an administrative unit of Moldova, the Administrative-Territorial Units of the Left Bank of the Dniester. The flag of the Prinestrovian Moldovan Republic is a red-green-red triband, while the Administrative-Territorial Units of the Left Bank of the Dniester use the flag of Moldova.
Transnistria is a region in Eastern Europe that is under the effective control of the self-declared Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic but is recognized by the international community as an administrative unit of Moldova, the Administrative-Territorial Units of the Left Bank of the Dniester.
The flag and coat of arms of Transylvania were granted by Maria Theresa in 1765, when she established a Grand Principality within the Habsburg monarchy. While neither symbol has official status in present-day Romania, the coat of arms is marshalled within the national Romanian arms; it was also for decades a component of the Hungarian arms. In its upper half, it prominently includes the eagle, which may have been one of the oldest regional symbols, or is otherwise a localized version of the Polish eagle. Early versions of the Transylvanian charges were first designed in Habsburg Hungary at some point before 1550, and were therefore symbols of pretence.
The flag and coat of arms of Moldavia, one of the two Danubian Principalities, together with Wallachia, which formed the basis for the Romanian state, were subject to numerous changes throughout their history.
The coat of arms of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic was adopted on 10 February 1941 by the government of the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic. The coat of arms is based on the coat of arms of the Soviet Union. It shows symbols of agriculture, an outer rim featuring wheat, corn, grapes and clover. The red banner bears the Soviet Union state motto in both the Romanian language and the Russian language. In Romanian, it was initially "Пролетарь дин тоате цэриле, униць-вэ!"; then, from the 1950s "Пролетарь дин тоате цэриле, уници-вэ!". Both are written in the Latin alphabet as "Proletari din toate țările, uniți-vă!". The acronym MSSR is shown only in Romanian in Moldovan Cyrillic ("РССМ"). The emblem was replaced on 3 November 1990 by the present coat of arms of Moldova. Currently, the unrecognized breakaway state of Transnistria uses a similar state emblem.
This timeline of events is a chronological list of incidents and other notable occurrences related to the War of Transnistria, including events leading up to the war.
The coat of arms of the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was the official emblem of the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in the Soviet Union, and underwent a number of changes over time.
The colors of the national flag of Romania has a long history, though the association of the three colors only dates to the 18th century. Red, yellow and blue were found on late 16th-century royal grants of Michael the Brave, as well as shields and banners. Thus, the late 13th century Wijnbergen armorial shows the coat of arms of the Wallachian ruler Litovoi as consisting of a shield of ten vertically alternating gold-and-red bands,. The same two colors, gules and or, also appeared on the late 15th century flag and coat of arms of Moldavia, during the reign of Stephen the Great. Then, from the late 16th century until the mid-17th century, the historical coat of arms of Transylvania gradually developed as a shield party per fess, consisting of a black eagle on blue background in the upper field, a dividing red band in the middle, and seven red towers on golden background in the lower field. Finally, in the last quarter of the 18th century, Bukovina gets its own coat of arms from the Habsburg Empire, a blue-and-red shield party per pale with a black aurochs' head in the middle, and three golden six-pointed stars surrounding it. During the Wallachian uprising of 1821, these three colors were present, along others, on the canvas of the revolutionaries' flag and its fringes; for the first time a meaning was attributed to them: "Liberty (blue-sky), Justice, Fraternity ( blood)".
The flag of Riga is one of the official symbols of Riga, along with the coat of arms of Riga. The flag consists of a horizontal bicolour of blue and white, with the coat of arms of Riga in the middle.
The flag of Cimișlia is the official flag of the city of Cimișlia, in the Cimișlia District, Moldova. It is a simple horizontal tricolor, composed of blue stripes at the top and bottom and a yellow one in the middle. Blue represents the sky and other values and elements, while yellow signifies the richness of Cimișlia's cereals, very important in the history of the city. Previous proposals included the inclusion in the canton (corner) of the coat of arms of the city or a Tatar symbol called danga in Romanian.