The flag of the Republic of Cyprus was officially approved as a state symbol in August 1960.
Description and proportions of the flag of Cyprus
The flag of Cyprus is a rectangular white cloth, the sides of which are in a ratio of 5: 3. The flag depicts the silhouette of the island on which the Republic of Cyprus is located. Below the island are two stylized branches of a dark green olive tree, crossed at the bases.
The silhouette of Cyprus on the flag of the republic is painted with copper paint. This symbolizes the richest reserves of copper on the island, the Greek name for which gave the name to Cyprus. The crossed branches of the olive tree symbolize the two branches of the people of Cyprus: the island is inhabited by Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots.
History of the flag of Cyprus
The Cyprus flag appeared in 1960 when the island gained independence from British colonial rule. Prior to that, since 1922, the flag of the British colony of Cyprus was the official symbol and state flag of the country, which was a rectangular blue cloth, the top quarter of which was occupied by the flag of Great Britain. On the right side of the cloth were two figures of red lions.
The modern flag of Cyprus is one of the few state symbols that has an image of the country's territory on its cloth. He was received by President Makarios, who was in power at the time. Hundreds of people responded to the call to develop a draft flag of the country. As a result, the school teacher won the competition, and it is the state symbol that he proposed that has proudly fluttered since then on all flagpoles of the Republic of Cyprus.
In 1974, a war broke out on the island, during which Turkey occupied the northeast of the island and proclaimed the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in this part. It has its own white flag, with red horizontal stripes applied to it at the top and bottom and a crescent moon with a red star in the central part of the cloth.
The UN has proposed a plan for resolving the conflict between the Turkish and Greek communities of the island. The plan envisioned the creation of a United Cyprus Republic and a new flag was to become its symbol. The upper blue stripe on it symbolized Greece, the lower red stripe - Turkey, and the middle yellow - Cyprus itself. However, the 2004 referendum showed that the residents of the Republic of Cyprus do not support the UN plan due to insufficient commitments to withdraw Turkish troops from the island.
