Size: 6.5 x 4 cm (2.56 x 1.57 inch) The flag of Greenland consists of two equal sized horizontal stripes - the top stripe is white and the bottom is red. Towards the left side of the Greenland flag is a circle divided in half - the top half is red and the bottom is white. Each half is divided along the horizontal center of the flag. Meaning: Thue Christiansen, the flag's designer, said this about the meaning of the flag, "the large white part in the flag symbolizes the ice cap and our fjords are represented by the red part in the circle. The white part of the circle symbolizes the ice bergs and the pack ice, and the large red part in the flag represents the ocean." History: The Greenland flag was adopted on June 21, 1985. The first proposal for a flag of Greenland happened in 1973 when several people suggested that a green-white-blue flag might be appropriate for the country. This suggestion inspired others to display their designs, and in 1974 a newspaper published 11 proposals. Ten of these designs had a Scandinavian cross on them. However, in a vote organized by the newspaper paper, the Danish flag remained the favorite. The government held a design contest in 1980 and 555 designs were sent in. However the Government couldn't agree on a design so they invited artists to submit more designs. The current Greenland flag won on a vote of 14-11. Several people were unhappy with the decision not to adopt a Scandinavian cross flag. Greenland is a Danish dependency but has been self governing since 1979. Interesting Facts: Greenland's flag is called 'Erfalasorput' which means 'our flag', but is also called 'Aappalaaroq' - 'the red'. This term also used to be applied to the Danish flag. In Thue Christiansen's words: "The colors are the same as 'Dannebrog' (the Danish national flag) and thus we can also continue to call our flag Aappalaartoq, 'the red'." (source: worldflags101)
