Croatia flag

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What makes Croatia flag so important for people in Croatia? This horizontal tricolour of red, white and blue with chequered red and silver coat of arms , first time introduced in 1848, has become the symbol of Croatian people and Croatias sovereignty.

Hrvatska flag from 1992

The current flag and the coat of arms were officially introduced on December 21, 1990, about ten months before the proclamation of independence from Yugoslavia and a day before the Constitution of Croatia on 22 December 1990.

The flag and coat-of-arms of the Republic of Croatia are important symbols through which Croatia proclaimed its independence and sovereignty to the world, symbols that are still in use today. Article 11 of the new constitution of the Republic of Croatia, promulgated by parliament on 22nd December 1990, states:

Coat of arms of the Republic of Croatia

The coat-of-arms of the Republic of Croatia is the historical Croatian coat-of-arms whose base consists of 25 alternating red and white fields. The flag of the Republic of Croatia consists of three colors: red, white and blue, with the historical Croatian coat-of-arms in the centre. The description of the historic Croatian coat-of-arms and flag and their use shall be regulated by law.

Above the coat-of-arms is a crown with five peaks containing five small heraldic shields that represent (from left to right): the oldest known Croatian coat-of-arms, Dubrovnik, Dalmatia, Istria, and Slavonia.

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While the tricolor has been an important sign of Croatian national identity since the mid nineteenth century, it is the various coats of arms and symbols that somebody tried to give some ideological and political significance. Of particular importance is the use of the Croatian coat of arms; a medieval armorial shield bearing the red and white chequered pattern, known as the ahovnica (translation: chessboard).

Flag of Independent State of Croatia

Throughout Croatias past the chequered coat of arms has been used by regimes with different ideologies ranging from fascism to communism within the last century. Primarily, because of its adoption by the pro-Nazi Ustae regime during World War II, the chequered coat of arms with the first field in white was taken to represent extreme Croatian nationalism and right wing political ideology.

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Croatia flags throught the history

Hrvatska flag from 1990