Flag of Greece
The Flag of Greece is based on nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white. There is a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white cross; the cross symbolises Greek Orthodoxy, the established religion of the country and the nine stripes are one for each of the syllables of the phrase "Freedom or Death" (E-ley-the-ri-a i Tha-na-tos) but according to another theory, they symbolise also the nine Muses, the goddesses of art and civilisation. The official flag ratio is 7:12.
The color scheme of blue and white was first used in the 1820s and symbolises the colours of the famed Greek sky and sea. But the current form was not adopted as the national flag until 1978. Previously, in darker blue, it was only used at sea and by the merchant marine; the national flag was a simple white cross on a blue background.
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