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. Events 1384 - The Hongwu Emperor of Ming China, Emperor Dong hears a case of a couple who tore paper money bills while fighting Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Zürich and London Agreement was the agreement which took place on the 19 February 1959 between Turkey, Greece, the United Kingdom Cyprus (Κύπρος transliterated: Kýpros,; Kıbrıs officially the Republic of Cyprus (Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía Independence is the Self-government of a Nation, Country, or State by its residents and population or some portion thereof generally exercising

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). A national flag is a Flag that symbolises a country The flag is flown by the government but usually can be flown by Citizens of that country as well A map is a visual representation of an area—a symbolic depiction highlighting relationships between elements of that space such as objects, Regions, and Themes An island (ˈaɪlənd or isle (/ˈaɪl/ is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water in two dimensions above high tide and isolated from other significant The olive branch is a Branch of an Olive tree In Western culture, derived from the customs of Ancient Greece, it symbolizes peace or goodwill White is a Color, the perception which is evoked by Light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive Cone cells in the Human eye 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. List of flags of Kosovo The flag of the Republic of Kosovo was adopted by the Assembly of Kosovo immediately following the declaration of independence of the A flag is a piece of Cloth, often flown from a pole or mast, generally used Symbolically for signaling or identification 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. Copper (ˈkɒpɚ is a Chemical element with the symbol Cu (cuprum and Atomic number 29 An ore is a volume of rock containing components or Minerals in a mode of occurrence that renders it valuable for mining Chalcopyrite (ˌkælkoʊˈpaɪraɪt kal-co-pie-right —"kal" as in " cal endar" "co" as in co de is a Copper Cyprus (Κύπρος transliterated: Kýpros,; Kıbrıs officially the Republic of Cyprus (Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía 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

Before the flag of Cyprus was introduced, the flags of Greece and Turkey were used. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches The current flag was created as the result of a design competition in 1960. Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 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. The Flag of Greece ( Σημαία της Ελλάδος, popularly referred to as the Γαλανόλευκη or the Κυανόλευκη The flag of Turkey consists of a white crescent moon and a Star on a Red background The Christian cross is the best-known Religious symbol of Christianity. Islamic symbols are non-textual and non-verbal visual Symbols that have been used or are used to express identification with Islam or a particular tradition within 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. İsmet Vehit Güney (born 1932 Limasol) Cyprus is an artist and cartoonist Turkish Cypriots ( Turkish: Kıbrıs Türkleri or Kıbrıslı Türkler Greek: Τουρκοκύπριοι are the ethnically Turkish inhabitants of the The design was chosen by Makarios III, the President of the Republic, with the consent of Fazil Küçük, the Vice-President. Makarios III (Μακάριος Γ born Mihail Christodoulou Mouskos (Greek Μιχαήλ Χριστοδούλου Μούσκος) on August 13, Fazıl Küçük ( 1906 - January 15, 1984) was the first Turkish Cypriot Vice President of the Republic of Cyprus.

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. The Flag of Greece ( Σημαία της Ελλάδος, popularly referred to as the Γαλανόλευκη or the Κυανόλευκη The flag of Turkey consists of a white crescent moon and a Star on a Red background 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. Greek Cypriots ( Greek: Ελληνοκύπριοι Turkish: Kıbrıslı Rumlar are the ethnic Greek population of Cyprus. (See also Flag of India, Flag of Ireland, and Flag of Bosnia-Herzegovina. "Indian flag" redirects here For flags used by Native American peoples see the tribes' respective articles, for example the Navajo Nation. The flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina contains a wide medium blue vertical band on the fly side with a yellow Isosceles triangle abutting the band and the top of the )

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. PortalCurrent events News collections and sources See WikipediaNews collections and sources. [1]

Proposed national flag

The proposed flag of the United Cyprus Republic envisioned in the Annan Plan. The Annan Plan was a United Nations proposal to settle the Cyprus dispute of the divided island nation of Cyprus as the United Cyprus Republic The Annan Plan was a United Nations proposal to settle the Cyprus dispute of the divided island nation of Cyprus as the United Cyprus Republic

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. The Annan Plan was a United Nations proposal to settle the Cyprus dispute of the divided island nation of Cyprus as the United Cyprus Republic The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The Cyprus dispute is a territorial conflict between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots and also Republic of Cyprus and Turkey over Cyprus, an 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. Heraldry in its most general sense encompasses all matters relating to the duties and responsibilities of officers of arms. In Heraldry and heraldic Vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of most often a Coat of arms or Flag, which enables a person to In Vexillology, a Spanish fess is a term occasionally used to describe the central horizontal stripe of a Tricolour or triband flag that is twice the width It is possible that any future Cyprus settlement will include the adoption of a new flag.

See also

• Flag of Northern Cyprus

External links

• Cyprus at Flags of the World
• Flags in Cyprus