Flag of Georgiaსაქართველო

What the flag looks like

The Georgian flag consists of a white field bearing a large red cross in the center that extends to the edges, with four smaller red crosses in each of the four quadrants. The proportion is 2:3. It was adopted on 14 January 2004, following the Rose Revolution, restoring a medieval design used by the Kingdom of Georgia in the 13th century.

Colors and meaning

White represents peace, purity and the Georgian people, and red represents courage, the blood shed for Georgian independence and the Christian faith. The five crosses are a Christian symbol representing Jesus Christ and the four Evangelists.

White

Represents peace, purity and the Georgian people. White is also the traditional background of Georgian religious and royal banners.

Red

Represents courage, the blood shed for Georgian independence and the Christian faith. Red crosses have been used on Georgian banners since the medieval period.

The five crosses

The central cross represents Jesus Christ, and the four smaller crosses represent the four Evangelists — Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The design is known as the 'Five Cross Flag' (ხუთჯვრიანი დროშა) in Georgian.

Jerusalem cross

The five-cross design is similar to the Jerusalem cross, used by the Kingdom of Jerusalem during the Crusades, and is associated with Georgia's medieval Christian heritage.

History and adoption

The five-cross design originated in the Kingdom of Georgia during the reign of Queen Tamar in the 13th century. It was used as a royal and religious banner and appeared in medieval Georgian manuscripts. After Georgia was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1801 and later became part of the Soviet Union, the medieval flag fell out of use. During the brief independence of the Democratic Republic of Georgia (1918–1921), a different tricolor of dark red, black and white was used, and the same tricolor was readopted after independence in 1991. In 2004, after the Rose Revolution, President Mikheil Saakashvili proposed restoring the medieval five-cross flag, and it was formally adopted on 14 January 2004.

Key facts

Adopted

14 January 2004

Proportion

2:3

Designer

Medieval Georgian design — revived in 2004

Capital

Tbilisi

Country code

GE

Similar flags

None

Historical and related flags

Georgia has used several national flags across its medieval, imperial, Soviet and modern periods.

• Kingdom of Georgia (13th century): Five-cross flag used by Queen Tamar.
• Democratic Republic of Georgia (1918–1921): Dark red, black and white tricolor.
• Georgian SSR (1921–1951): Red flag with hammer and sickle and Cyrillic initials.
• Georgian SSR (1951–1990): Red flag with a blue stripe and communist emblem.
• Republic of Georgia (1991–2004): Medieval tricolor restored.
• Current flag (2004–present): Five-cross flag restored.

Frequently asked questions

What does the flag of Georgia look like?

The flag of Georgia has a white field with one large red cross in the center and four smaller red crosses in each quadrant. The proportion is 2:3.

When was the flag of Georgia adopted?

The current flag of Georgia was officially adopted on 14 January 2004.

What do the colors mean?

White represents peace, purity and the Georgian people, and red represents courage, the blood shed for Georgian independence and the Christian faith. The five crosses are a Christian symbol representing Jesus Christ and the four Evangelists.

Which flags look similar to the Georgia flag?

No other national flag uses the same five-cross design. It is sometimes confused with the Jerusalem cross flag used by the Kingdom of Jerusalem, but that design uses four equal crosses in the corners.