Proportion 2:3 Designed by Kyösti Varis | Adopted 1984 | |
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Design Silhuette of a stylised, white swan against a blue circle on a white field | ||
The Flag of the Nordic Council is white, with a stylised circular motif of a white swan upon a blue (Pantone Reflex Blue C) disk. The Swan has enough wing feathers standing for the eight members and territories of the Council: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Åland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland.
The swan symbol was chosen to represent the Nordic Council, and the Nordic Council of Ministers, in 1984. It is also designed to symbolise wider Nordic cooperation. The flag was designed by Kyösti Varis, an artist from Finland.
The full members of the Nordic council all use a Nordic Cross Flag. The Nordic Cross was also use in the Flag of the Kalmar Union. The Kalmar Union was the only time when all Nordic countries were under a single state - hence it has traditionally been a sign of unity before the Nordic Council adopted the swan flag.