The state flag of the Republic of Macedonia was officially adopted in October 1995. It was then that, along with the anthem and coat of arms, the flag became an integral symbol of a sovereign state.
Description and proportions of the flag of Macedonia
The flag of Macedonia is a classic rectangular cloth with a bright red field. In the center of the flag, there is a yellow disc, from which eight rays diverging in different directions go. The stylized sun on the flag of Macedonia is a symbol of freedom. The Macedonian hymn contains words dedicated to the new sun of freedom, which is also depicted on the flag.
The sun is also present on the coat of arms of Macedonia as its main element. Approved back in 1947, the coat of arms of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia contains several important symbols for the country's inhabitants. The sun rises behind the mountains, the deep Macedonian rivers are symbolically depicted in the foreground, and the emblem is framed by ears of wheat intertwined with shoots of cotton, poppy and tobacco - the main crops cultivated in the country.
Having received the status of an independent state, the Republic of Macedonia did not change its coat of arms. Only the image of a five-pointed star, which served as a symbol of the construction of a communist society, was removed from it.
History of the flag of Macedonia
Macedonia remained part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia until 1991. Then, after the collapse of the SFRY, the now sovereign state used the Socialist Republic of Macedonia as the state flag. This symbol was adopted back in 1946 and was a red rectangle. At the top of it, facing the shaft, there was a gold outline of a five-pointed star.
In 1992, the Republic of Macedonia adopted a new flag. Its field was still red, and the Vergina star was located in the center of the flag. This symbol looks like a disc with sixteen rays. For the first time such a star was found during archaeological research on the tomb of one of the rulers of Macedonia in antiquity. The Verginsky symbol on the flag of the country of Macedonia was greeted by the world community extremely ambiguously. The Greeks protested against the use of an image of a star found on the territory of their state, and therefore in 1995 the authorities of the Republic of Macedonia adopted a draft of a new flag. Today, this very symbol of the country flies on all flagpoles of Macedonia.
