Sweden

The flag of Sweden comprises a yellow Nordic cross (ie an assymetrical horizontal cross with the crossbar nearer to the hoist side of the flag than to the fly side of the flag) set on an all blue field. The Swedish flag's proportions are 5:8.

The Nordic cross is said to represent the Christian faith. The colours blue and yellow have been used as national colours in Sweden since at least the time of Magnus III's royal coat of arms in the year 1275. The precise origins of the present day Swedish flag are difficult to trace; however, the first legal description of the flag design was made in a royal warrant on 19 April 1562 as "yellow in a cross fashioned on blue". The current Swedish flag was officially adopted as the country's national flag on 22 June 1906. A national flag day is celebrated in Sweden on 6 June each year.

A Swedish flag being displayed on a boat