Flag of Cyprus
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Flag ratio: 3:5

The Flag of Cyprus came into use on August 16, 1960 under the Zürich and London Agreements, whereby a constitution was drafted and Cyprus was proclaimed an independent state.

The national flag features a map of the entirety of the island, with two olive branches below (a symbol of peace) on white (another symbol of peace). The olive branches signify peace between the Turks and Greeks. Before the Republic of Kosovo adopted their current flag, Cyprus was the only country to display its land area on its flag. The map on the flag is a copper-yellow color, symbolizing the large deposits of copper ore on the island (chiefly in the form of chalcopyrite, which is yellow in color), from which it allegedly received its name. Founded in 1193, the Kingdom of Cyprus experienced centuries of conflict. Cyprus was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1571, which increased Turkish settlement on the island. It then fell under British control in 1878. The flag, adopted at independence in 1960, deliberately chose peaceful and neutral symbols in an attempt to indicate harmony between the rival Greek and Turkish communities, an ideal that has not yet been realized. In 1974, Turkish forces occupied the northern part of the island, forming the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The two parts of the island also fly the national flags of Greece and Turkey.

Creation

Version of the flag used from April to August 1960.

Before the flag of Cyprus was introduced, the flags of Greece and Turkey were used. The current flag was created as the result of a design competition in 1960. Under the constitution, the flag should not include either blue or red colors (the colours of the flag of Greece and the flag of Turkey), nor portray a cross or a crescent. All participants deliberately avoided use of these four elements in an attempt to make the flag "neutral".

The winning design was based on a proposal by İsmet Güney, a Turkish Cypriot painter. The design was chosen by Makarios III, the President of the Republic, with the consent of Fazil Küçük, the Vice-President.

Use

Under the constitution of Cyprus, the flag of Cyprus may be flown by state institutions, public corporations, and citizens of the country. State institutions, public bodies and corporations may fly the flag of Cyprus along with both the flag of Greece and the flag of Turkey. Private citizens may fly the flag of Cyprus alongside either the Greek flag, the Turkish flag, or both.

Despite the attempt at a neutral design to promote unity amongst the constituent communities, this flag is most often used only by the Greek Cypriots. (See also Flag of India, Flag of Ireland, and Flag of Bosnia-Herzegovina.)

Specifications

The map of the island comprises 44% of the flag. The colour of the map is copper (Pantone 144-C). Both the crest and the two olive-tree leaves are olive green (Pantone 336-C). The background is white. Ratio: 3:5

Flags produced on Cyprus often differ from the original specifications, both regarding the size of the map and the colours used. The government announced in October 2005, that it would take steps to "start from scratch" and assure that only flags complying with the official specifications would be produced. [1]

Proposed national flag

The proposed flag of the United Cyprus Republic envisioned in the Annan Plan.

Under the terms of the Annan Plan for Cyprus, a United Nations proposal to settle the Cyprus dispute, a new national flag would have been adopted by a reconstituted confederal republic of Cyprus. Unlike the current official flag, this version consciously incorporates colours representing Greece (blue) and Turkey (red) alongside a large copper-yellow band for Cyprus; the heraldic blazon is per fess Azure and Gules, charged with a Spanish fess Or fimbriated Argent. It is possible that any future Cyprus settlement will include the adoption of a new flag.

See also

• Flag of Northern Cyprus
• Ismet Guney

External links

• Cyprus at Flags of the World
• Flags in Cyprus