What are the Flags of Europe?

A national flag is a country's official symbol, and Europe's flags include some of the oldest in the world. Denmark's flag, the Dannebrog, has been used for centuries and inspired the Nordic cross design shared by Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland. Many other European flags are tricolours, a style inspired by the Dutch flag and, above all, by the French Tricolore adopted during the French Revolution, which became a symbol of national independence across the continent. The red, white and blue Pan-Slavic colours were promoted at the 1848 Slavic Congress in Prague and appear on the flags of Russia, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. Many Central and Eastern European countries adopted new flags or removed communist symbols after 1989.