Cyprus Flag

A bit of History

The current flag of Cyprus was adopted on August 16, 1960. Displays an entire map of the island of copper (metal that gave fame to the island throughout its history and which derives its name), with two olive branches on the bottom, on white background (both color and olive branches are symbols of peace). It is one of the three official flags of the world that has a map of the territory it represents, the other being the flag of Kosovo and the flag of Christmas Island.  The flag of Cyprus was chosen by the president, Makarios III, in 1960, following a proposal from a schoolmaster Turkish Cypriot Ismet Guney. The blue and red (the colors of the flag of Greece and the flag of Turkey) were avoided on purpose in order to make the neutral flag. However, today the flag is seen as a symbol of the Cypriots.