Flag of Albania

What the flag of Albania looks like

The Albanian flag is plain red with a large black double-headed eagle in the center. The eagle has its wings spread, and its two heads look to the left and right, in opposite directions. The proportions are 5:7. There are no other colors, stripes or symbols on the flag.

In small form, as in the Albania flag emoji, it appears as a black bird on red.

Albania flag meaning and symbolism

The eagle is the main symbol of the Albanians. They call their country Shqipëria, which is often explained as "land of the eagles", and themselves Shqiptarë, "sons of the eagle". A double-headed eagle was already used in the Middle Ages by several rulers in the Balkans, and the black eagle on red became the emblem of the Kastrioti family, whose most famous member was Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg. The eagle is described as representing the sovereign state of Albania.

The red field is said to represent bravery, strength, valor and bloodshed. The eagle, traditionally the symbol of Albanians, stands for the sovereign state.

History of the Albanian flag

In 1443 Skanderbeg left the Ottoman army, took the fortress of Krujë and raised a red flag with a black double-headed eagle against Ottoman rule. He led the Albanian resistance until his death in 1468, and the banner became a symbol for later generations.

The flag came back to public life during the national awakening of the 19th century. On 28 November 1912, in Vlorë, Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire and a red flag with a black eagle was raised; historians say there is no definitive proof of exactly how that first flag looked. The date is still celebrated as Independence Day, which is also called Flag Day. The red-and-black flag was kept by the principality of Albania (1914) and, in 1928, by the kingdom under King Zog, during which a crown was added to the flag.

After the Second World War, the communist government changed the flag in early 1946 by placing a golden star above the eagle; the 1976 constitution describes it as a red five-pointed star edged in gold. The star was removed by the Assembly on 7 April 1992 after the fall of communism, and the present flag was standardized by a law of 22 July 2002.

Albanian eagle vs Serbian eagle

The double-headed eagle appears on several flags in the region, but the colors and shapes are different. The Albanian eagle is black on red. The eagle of Serbia is white and carries a shield with a cross and four firesteels, and Montenegro has a gold eagle on a red field with a gold border. The flag of Kosovo is different: it is blue and carries a map of the country with six stars. Compare more designs in the flags of the world.