Flag of Macedonia (Greece)

For other uses, see Flag of Macedonia.

The flag of Macedonia (Greek: Σημαία της Μακεδονίας) represents a Vergina Sun with 16 rays in the centre of a blue field. This flag, as well as the Vergina Sun, is commonly used as an unofficial symbol of the Greek region of Macedonia and its subdivisions. It is also used by organisations of the Greek Macedonian diaspora, such as the Pan-Macedonian Association chapters of the United States and Australia,^[1][2][3] as well as numerous commercial enterprises and private citizens.

Macedonia

Use	Civil flag
Proportion	2:3
Design	A golden Vergina sun on a blue field

Overview

The exact date of the flag's creation is not known, however it was most likely after the 1980s, after the Vergina Sun was discovered by Archaeologist Manolis Andronikos in a larnax made of gold, which was speculated to hold the remains of Philip II of Macedon.

The Vergina Sun is an official state emblem of Greece,^[4] and the Greek government proceeded to lodge a copyright claim as a state symbol at the World Intellectual Property Organization in 1995.^[5] No such provisions have been made for the flag of Macedonia however, which remains unofficial.

It is unclear when the flag was adopted, but it was most likely in use by the late 1980s after the archaeological discovery of the star by Manolis Andronikos in Vergina.^[6] The similarity of the first flag of North Macedonia, then the Republic of Macedonia, following its independence from Yugoslavia 1992 had the same design as the flag of Greek Macedonia, but on a red background with proportions 1:2. This caused controversy in Greece, which was already using that symbol for its own province of Macedonia, and the then Republic of Macedonia changed its flag to the current design in 1995.^[6]

Vergina Sun flag at the Kozani Prefecture, along with the European flag and the flag of Greece.

See also

• Flag of Greece
• List of Greek flags
• Flags of country subdivisions

References

1. "Pan-Macedonian Association USA". Archived from the original on 2012-07-01. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
2. "History of Macedonia". Pan-Macedonian Network. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
3. "Pan Macedonian Association of Melbourne and Victoria". Retrieved 2008-10-25.
4. Roisman, Joseph; Worthington, Ian (2010-12-13). A Companion to Ancient Macedonia. John Wiley & Sons. p. 589. ISBN 9781405179362. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
5. WIPO registrations: 1, 2, 3.
6. Znamierowski, Alfred (2010). The World Encyclopedia of Flags. Anness Publishings. ISBN 978-1-84476-895-0.

External links

• Macedonia at Flags of the World