Georgia Flag

The official flag of Georgia is known as the Five Cross Flag and was originally a banner of the medieval Kingdom of Georgia from 1008-1490. It was reintroduced as the official flag in January of 2004 after a period of national revival and patriotism in the country due to the collapse of the Soviet Union. The flag consists of a red St George Cross on a white field with four smaller crosses placed in the middle of each quarter-section.

The cross is similar to the Cross of Jerusalem and was originally used during a time in which monasteries were founded in Georgia as a demonstration of the Jewish faith. According to historians, King Vakhtang I used a variation of the St George Cross flag as early as the fifth century. Queen Tamar of the Kingdom of Georgia also used a variation of the flag. After the collapse of the Kingdom of Georgia, many states used their own flags and the current flag is seen as a tool of unification in the country, reminding citizens of a united Georgia.

Georgian politicians had used the flag as a symbol of opposition prior to 2004 and once the United National Movement had gained power after the Rose Revolution, a Presidential Decree was signed into law to make this flag the official national symbol. This decree (number 31) also outlines the design specifications of the flag specifically and provides the framework for the appropriate use of the flag. 14 of January each year is a day that is used to celebrate Flag Day in Georgia.

Previous flags of the nation include three separate flags that represented the Soviet Socialist Republic of Georgia. These three flags were flown from 1921-1937, 1937-1952, and 1951-1990 and all three contain symbols and/or colours of the Soviet Union. The flag used from 1990-2004, also known as the Flag of the Democratic Republic of Georgia was also used from 1918-1921. This design consists of a dark red field with small a black and white bi-colour in the top left-hand corner.