Albania

AlbaniaShqipëri
Adopted	April 7, 1992
Designed by	Sadik Kaceli (original concept)
Proportions	5:7

The flag of Albania consists of a double-headed black eagle on a red field.

Symbolism

The two-headed black eagle represents the fact that Albania's native name is Shqiperi, which is derived from shqiponje, which means "eagle".

History

Though the current flag of Albania was only adopted in 1992 variants of which have been around since the early Middle Ages. According to legend, the Albanians are descendent of the eagle. The double-headed eagle was the symbol of the Byzantine Empire, which ruled over Albania for centuries. National hero Skanderbeg, who led a lengthy revolt against the Ottomans. Albania finally gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912 under the German prince Wilhelm von Wied and the country used Skanderbegs eagle, albeit with a white star above its head and bearing lightning rays in its claws. After von Wied was forced to leave the country a plain black eagle on a red field, topped with the helmet of Skanderbeg was used under king Zog. During the years of Italian rule from 1939 to 1942 the eagle was surrounded by fascist symbols and after World War II these symbols were replaced by a yellow-edged communist red star above the eagles head. Finally in 1992 Albania started using its original plain flag with the eagle. The red background stands for the blood shed of those who fought for the country.

Nickname

• The Two Headed Black Eagle
  • Shqiponja e zezë me dy koka

Flag Colors

Color	Color Name	HEX RGB	Color of
	Alizarin	#E41E20	Background
	Black	#000000	Eagle

Trivia

• The coat of arms from which the flag derives is unusual in the fact that it doesn't obey the traditional rule of tincture of heraldry, as two colours (red and black) border without the interception of a metal.