Page 166 - (DK) Complete Flags of the World

Europe

Bulgaria

Ratio: 3:5 Adopted: November 22, 1990 Usage: National and Civil

Red and white Before 1990 the
were taken white stripe contained
from the the Bulgarian coat of
pan-Slavic arms
colors

Red is for the valor
of the Bulgarian army

The green stripe replaced the
blue of the Russian tricolor

Europe
2OMANIA Bulgaria became independent in 1908 after
3ERBIA
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500 years of Ottoman rule. In 1990, the communist
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'REECE 4URKEYY Y Y Y regime, in power since 1946, collapsed.
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While under Turkish rule, Bulgaria of arms was added in the white
had no national flag. When it stripe near the hoist. This depicted a
became a principality in 1878, a rampant lion, a red star representing
slight variation of the pan-Slavic communism, and later a cog-wheel
colors, widely used during the symbolizing industrialization.
independence movements of the The coat of arms was removed
late 19th century, was adopted. from the flag in 1990 because of its
The horizontal arrangement of the communist connotations. No arms
tricolor was based on the Russian now appear on the flag.
flag at the time, but for Bulgaria’s
national flag the central blue stripe THE SYMBOLISM OF THE COLORS
was substituted by green. Although based on the pan-Slavic
colors, the white band is said to
THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC represent a love of peace, and red,
No change was made to the flag the valor of the people. The green
during Bulgaria’s period as an stripe, substituted for the traditional
independent kingdom 1908–1946, pan-Slavic blue in 1878, was
but with the formation of the intended to represent the
People’s Republic in 1947, a coat youthfulness of the emerging nation.

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