Civil Flag and Ensign of Iceland.
The flag of Iceland was intentionally designed in the Scandinavian tradition, i.e. with an off-center cross like the flags of Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. When the first organized nationalist movement arose in Iceland in the late 19th century, the azure blue and white colors of its traditional clothing were chosen for the flag. The design had a blue background and a white cross, but the king of Denmark (then ruler of Iceland) refused to recognize it.
Icelanders subsequently added the Danish color (red) to please the king, but he still objected to any flag, which might encourage Icelandic separation from Denmark. Finally, in 1918, royal approval was given to use of the flag however only on land and in local waters. That year Iceland became a kingdom separate from Denmark, but still recognizing its king as head of state. In 1944, when Iceland became an independent republic, usage restrictions for the flag were lifted and the blue of the field was altered from azure to dark blue.
The state flag differs from the civil one, that the outer rectangles are three times longer than the hoist side rectangles and split at the end, cut directly from the outer corners to its center line. Cutting the inner edges of the outer rectangles at 4/7 of outer length and 3/7 of inner length of the outer rectangles. When this cut encounters the edge of the red cross it is cut vertically.
Iceland was an original NATO member, joining at its inception in April of 1949. Iceland is also the only NATO member with no standing army; however, because of Iceland's strategic location in the North Atlantic, she is an important NATO member, hosting the biannual
Northern Viking exercises to test NATO's readiness and inter-operability.
ZFC Collectible Flag
Sources:
Flag of Iceland, Wikipedia, 29 May 2012, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Iceland
Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection
