Flags With a Cross

Types of crosses on flags

Cross flags come in a few main types. The simplest is a Latin or upright cross that extends to the edges. Switzerland has a white square cross on red, while Georgia has a red cross with four smaller crosses on white.

The Nordic cross is placed toward the hoist side. The red and white Denmark flag is the model, followed by Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland. The cross also appears on the Faroe Islands, Åland Islands, Svalbard and Jan Mayen and Bouvet Island.

A diagonal cross is a saltire. Jamaica has a gold one on green and black, Burundi a white one on red and green, and Scotland a white saltire on blue. The United Kingdom combines the crosses of England, Scotland and Ireland in the Union Jack.

Other notable cross flags

• England: the red St George's Cross on white.
• Greece: nine blue and white stripes with a white cross in a blue canton.
• Malta: a George Cross in the top left of a white and red bicolor.
• Dominican Republic: a white cross dividing blue and red rectangles.
• Tonga: a red flag with a white canton holding a red cross.
• Central African Republic: a red vertical stripe crossing horizontal stripes.
• Dominica: a tri-colored cross over a green field with a purple parrot.

Several territories, such as Saint Helena, Jersey and Guernsey, have crosses too.

Why are crosses so common?

Crosses became popular on European flags during the Crusades and in the age of heraldry. In a few cases, such as Georgia and Malta, the cross is linked to a saint or to a military order, while the Union Jack is a combination of three saints' crosses. The Danish flag, said to have fallen from the sky in 1219, is among the oldest in the world still in use. Switzerland's white cross grew out of a military sign used by Swiss troops in the late Middle Ages, and the square flag is unusual among national flags.