The Secret History Behind Iceland's Flag

Iceland's flag tells the story of the island itself.

Blue for the sea surrounding it and the sky above it. White for the snow and glacial ice that cover much of the interior. Red for the volcanic fire that built the island from the ocean floor in the first place — Iceland sits directly on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and is still growing today, one eruption at a time.

The design became Iceland's official flag on June 19, 1915, while the country was still under Danish rule. It took almost thirty more years for the flag to fly over a fully independent nation — that happened on June 17, 1944, the date printed on every Iceland design in our catalog.

Three colors, one island, born of the same fire and ice that still shapes it today.

Shop the Iceland collection → — or explore the story behind any other country's flag on our free Flag Story Cards page.