Flag of Croatia

Country

Flag of Croatia uses horizontal tricolour with the chequy coat of arms. Ratio 1:2 and current adoption December 21, 1990.

Hoist Ratio 1:2 Fly

Flag Reference

Flag	Flag of Croatia
Entity Type	Country
Official Name	Republic of Croatia
Identifier	HR / HRV
Region	Southeast Europe

Flag Specifications

Current Adoption	December 21, 1990
First Documented Use	1848
Proportion	1:2
Shape	Rectangle
Colours	Red, White, Blue
Construction	Horizontal tricolour with the chequy coat of arms

Documented Colour Values

Colour	HEX	RGB	CMYK
Red	#FF0000	255, 0, 0	0, 100, 100, 0
White	#FFFFFF	255, 255, 255	0, 0, 0, 0
Blue	#171796	23, 23, 150	85, 85, 0, 41

Design and Symbolism

Red	Croatia proper.
White	the chequerboard and Pan-Slavic white.
Blue	Slavonia and Pan-Slavic blue.
Šahovnica	The red-and-white chequerboard, a Croatian emblem since the 15th century.
Crown of shields	Five small shields above the arms for Croatia, Dubrovnik, Dalmatia, Istria and Slavonia.

Proportions

Ratio	1:2
Hoist	1 units
Fly	2 units

About the Flag of Croatia

Horizontal tricolour with the chequy coat of arms The recorded proportion is 1:2. Within this library it is grouped with horizontal tricolour with a central emblem designs.

Colours and construction

The reference palette stored for Croatia is Red (#FF0000), White (#FFFFFF) and Blue (#171796). The colour table above is intended for digital reference; where an issuing authority publishes a different colour standard, that specification takes precedence.

Symbols and recorded meaning

Šahovnica: The red-and-white chequerboard, a Croatian emblem since the 15th century; Crown of shields: Five small shields above the arms for Croatia, Dubrovnik, Dalmatia, Istria and Slavonia.

History and adoption record

The design record traces first use to 1848. The adoption field for the present record is December 21, 1990.

Additional flag context

The chequerboard shield, the šahovnica, has twenty-five red and white squares and has been a Croatian emblem since the medieval period.

Above the shield sit five smaller shields for the historic regions: the oldest known Croatian arms, Dubrovnik, Dalmatia, Istria and Slavonia.

The current version dates from 1990 and deliberately begins the chequerboard with a white square, following the older heraldic form.

How to identify this flag

For quick identification, look for Horizontal tricolour with the chequy coat of arms, a 1:2 proportion and the visible Šahovnica. Use the comparison and design-family links on this page when another flag has a similar palette or layout.

Verification sources

Flags of the World — Croatia — Specialist vexillological reference

Other horizontal tricolour with a central emblem flags

See all

Facts about the Flag of Croatia

Croatia is recorded as horizontal tricolour with the chequy coat of arms.
The reference proportion for the flag of Croatia is 1:2.
The stored palette for Croatia contains Red, White and Blue.
The adoption field for this country flag record is December 21, 1990.
The design record traces first use to 1848.
Its construction is grouped with the horizontal tricolour with a central emblem design family in this library.
Šahovnica: The red-and-white chequerboard, a Croatian emblem since the 15th century.
Crown of shields: Five small shields above the arms for Croatia, Dubrovnik, Dalmatia, Istria and Slavonia.
The chequerboard shield, the šahovnica, has twenty-five red and white squares and has been a Croatian emblem since the medieval period.
Above the shield sit five smaller shields for the historic regions: the oldest known Croatian arms, Dubrovnik, Dalmatia, Istria and Slavonia.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Flag of Croatia

What does the flag of Croatia look like?

Horizontal tricolour with the chequy coat of arms, with a recorded proportion of 1:2.

What proportion is recorded for the flag of Croatia?

The reference proportion stored for this flag is 1:2.

Which colours are recorded for the flag of Croatia?

The reference palette lists Red #FF0000, White #FFFFFF and Blue #171796.

What do the symbols on the flag of Croatia represent?

Šahovnica — The red-and-white chequerboard, a Croatian emblem since the 15th century. Crown of shields — Five small shields above the arms for Croatia, Dubrovnik, Dalmatia, Istria and Slavonia.

When was the present flag record for Croatia adopted?

The adoption field in this record is December 21, 1990.

Which design family does the flag of Croatia belong to?

WorldFlags.online groups it with horizontal tricolour with a central emblem designs for visual browsing; that classification describes construction, not necessarily historical ancestry.

Where can I verify information about the flag of Croatia?

The verification-source section on this page links to an official, governmental or specialist reference used to check the underlying record. Source wording is not copied into the article.