Flag of Croatia
All the Slavic territories of the Austro-Hungarian Empire were part of the 19 th - century Pan-Slav movement for self-rule. In 1848 the Slavs sought Russian support and almost all, including Croatia, adopted flags based on Russia’s tricolor. The southern Slav states, Croatia being one, were united into a new country, Yugoslavia, in 1919, but there were rivalries between the different parts. When Yugoslavia broke up in 1992, Croatia and Slovenia left the union. Croatia re-adopted its earlier flag, a red, white and blue tricolor, with the arms in the center. This is a shield of red and white checks. Above is an arch of the traditional arms of Croatia Ancient, Dubrovnik, Dalmatia, Istria and Slavonia, all parts of Croatia. The present flag and the coat of arms were formally adopted on December 21, 1990, about ten months before the declaration of independence from Yugoslavia and a day before the Constitution of Croatia on 22 December 1990. The ratio of the flag is 1:2.
