Armenia - Current

The national flag of Armenia, the Armenian Tricolour (known in Armenian as եռագույն, Erraguyn), consists of three horizontal bands of equal width, red on the top, blue in the middle, and orange on the bottom, karmir, kappoyt, narndjagooyn (Armenian pronunciation). The Flag was originally used between 1918 and 1921 and readopted by The Armenian Supreme Soviet on 24th August 1990. On 15th June 2006, the Law on the National Flag of Armenia, governing its usage, was passed by the National Assembly of Armenia.

Throughout history, there have been many variations of the Armenian flag. In ancient times, Armenian dynasties were represented by different symbolic animals displayed on their flags. In the twentieth century, various Soviet flags represented the Armenian nation.

The meanings of the colours have been interpreted in many different ways. For example, red has stood for the blood shed by Armenian soldiers in war, blue for the Armenian sky, and orange represents the fertile lands of Armenia and the workers who work them. The official definition of the colours, as stated in the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, is: Red symbolizes the Armenian Highland, the Armenian people's continued struggle for survival, maintenance of the Christian faith, Armenia's independence and freedom. Blue symbolizes the will of the people of Armenia to live beneath peaceful skies. Orange symbolizes the creative talent and hard-working nature of the people of Armenia. Some other different interpretations of the colours of the Armenian flag include, A rainbow over Mount Ararat. Red is the blood shed and the whole is derived from the colours of the banners of the former Kingdom of Cilicia. Red: blood shed; blue: eternal land of Armenia; orange: courage. The Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Ottawa states red: the sun's energy; blue: the clear sky; orange: the wheat at harvest.

Since the Armenian government does not specify the exact shades of red, blue, and orange, two different versions of the flag are in common use. The more common version consists of brighter shades, whereas the colours of the less common version are more muted. The more common version uses on the RGB scale, red 255-0-0, blue 0-0-170, orange 255-153-0. The less common, red 216-28-63, blue 85-117-196, orange 239-107-0. Other colour approximations include, Red: Pantone 199c / CMYK (%) C 0 - M100 - Y 65 - K 0, Blue: Pantone 285c / CMYK (%) C 90 - M 45 - Y 0 - K 0, Orange: Pantone 021c / CMYK (%) C 0 - M 50 - Y 90 - K 0

The ratio of the flag is 1:2.