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The Greece Flag was officially adapted on December 22, 1978. The flag of Greece is also known as blue-white. It is base on nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white. There is a white cross on a blue square field in the canton position in the upper left corner of the flagpole. This white cross is symbolic of the Greek orthodoxy which is the predominant religion in the country. The blue and white colors represent the deep blue water and the white wave crests surrounding Greece. The ratio of the flag's height to its width is 2:3.
The origin of the Greek flag has been the focal point of controversy and debate. Flags with stripes have been in use earlier, but a flag with a cross and sixteen stripes signifies an early revolution flag. Some debate that the current flag has evolved from a much older pattern. The present flag is identical with the flag of Cretan Kallergis family, known to provide several key military and political figures in Greek history. The stripe pattern of the Greek flag bears resemblance to many other flags that have appeared over the centuries. The present day blue and white stripe of the Greece flag bears notable similarity to the pre 1707 flag of the British East Indian Company.
The colors blue and white of the Greek flag also has many interpretations. Some opine that they represent the colors of the Greek sky and the sea. Another explanation reveals that the blue and the white colors are derived from the traditional colors of Greek clothes in the islands and the mainland.
The meaning the the Greece flag lies with the nine stripes. The nine stripes stand for nine syllables of the Greek patriots motto, which means 'Freedom or Death'. This motto is now the National Motto of Greece.
The modern day Greece flag is a result of the transformation over the years under the influence of many foreign flags.
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