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The flag of Albania

The flag of Albania
A red field with a black double-headed eagle at the centre.
Ratio 5:7 · current design adopted 1992

Albania calls itself Shqipëria, usually glossed as "land of the eagles", and the flag has carried the double-headed eagle in some form since Skanderbeg's revolt in 1443. Everything else on it has changed repeatedly — a crown, a star, a helmet — and the 1992 version simply removed the socialist star and left the eagle alone on red. The bird faces both ways because it is a Byzantine device, adopted by Skanderbeg from imperial heraldry rather than invented. It is one of very few national flags with a single charge on a plain field and no other element.

What the colours mean

  • Red #E41E20 Bravery, strength and valour
  • Black #000000 The eagle; the country's own name for itself means "land of the eagles"

Flag laws usually specify a Pantone chip, a CMYK mix or just a colour name. Converting any of those to sRGB is lossy, which is why published hex values disagree.

The symbols on it

What What it stands for
Double-headed eagle The seal of Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg, who resisted the Ottomans in the 1400s
Ratio
5:7
Current design adopted
1992
Colours
red, black

Common questions

What does the flag of Albania look like?
A red field with a black double-headed eagle at the centre.
What do the colours of the Albania flag mean?
Red: bravery, strength and valour. Black: the eagle; the country's own name for itself means "land of the eagles".
When was the Albania flag adopted?
The current design dates from 1992, and its official ratio is 5:7.

Related pages

Sources

  1. Wikidata — Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)

How these figures are compiled and checked