Flag of Albania

Facts, history and meaning about the flag of Albania

Albania is located in Europe.

The official ISO 3166 code for Albania is:

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The flag of Albania consists of a red background with a black double-headed eagle. On April 7, 1992, it was officially adopted as the national flag of Albania.

It is also referred to as Shqiponja. The nation's name in Albanian translates to "The Land of the Eagle", which explains the symbol of the double-headed eagle.

The double-headed eagle was adopted as a Christian symbol of the Byzantine Empire, and later as a field sign during the 1400s by the Albanian national hero Skanderbeg. The symbol was used during the fight for freedom between 1443-1478, against the Ottoman Empire.

At Albania's declaration of independence on November 28, 1912, the flag was flown for the first time. It had been sewed and made by a woman in the Albanian coastal town of Vlora, Marigona. The flag contained parts of the Italian state weapon during the Italian occupation.

In 1946, the People's Republic of Albania was proclaimed. The socialist state was first represented with a golden color behind the eagle in the middle of the flag. It later changed into a red star with golden edges above the eagle in the flag's centre. Albania abandoned socialism in 1992 and the original appearance of the flag, from 1912, was reinstalled.

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