Greenland (Denmark)

Kalaallit Nunaat

Last modified: 1997-09-03 by filip van laenen
Keywords: greenland | denmark | europe | erfalasorput | aappalaaroq | circle |
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From Mark Sensen, 1995-OCT-18

• Meaning of the flag
• Description of the flag
• Name of the flag
• How the flag was adopted
• Arms of Greenland
• Read more about it

See also:

• Other proposals
• Denmark

The flag of Greenland, or Kalaallit Nunaat, celebrated its 10 anniversary in June 10, 1995. For this occasion, the Greenland Post Office, issued some stamps and a brochure explaining the flag. The text in the brochure is written by Thue Christiansen, the flag's designer. Christiansen makes some remarks about the natural features of Greenland, and then goes on to account for the symbolism of the flag:

"the large white part in the flag symbolises the ice cap and our fjords are represented by the red part in the circle. The white part of the circle symbolises the ice bergs and the pack ice, and the large red part in the flad represents the ocean."

Jan Oskar Engene, 1995-OCT-18

As for the design, the following specifications are given in the brochure (mentionned above):

The flag is 12 parts by 18, the white and red stripe are both 6 parts. The centre of the circle is set 7 parts from the hoist along the dividing line between the white and red, the radius being 4 parts. The upper part of the circle is red, the lower white.

Jan Oskar Engene, 1995-OCT-18

The flag is called Erfalasorput (mening 'our flag'), but is also called Aappalaaroq - 'the red'. This term also used to be applied to the Danish flag. In Thue Christiansen's words:

"The colours are the same as 'Dannebrog' (the Danish national flag) and thus we can also continue to call our flag Aappalaartoq, 'the red'."

Jan Oskar Engene, 1995-OCT-18

The first serious proposal for a Greenland flag came in 1973 when five people suggested that green-white-blue flag might be appropriate

This inspired other people to put forward their own designs, and in 1974 a Greenland paper published 11 proposals. All except one was a Scandinavian cross design. However, in a vote organized by the paper, Dannebrog was still the most favoured flag.

The Home Rule government organized a design contest in 1980. 555 proposals were sent in, 293 of them from Greenland. The Government was unable to agree on a design, and later invited artists to submit more designs. In the final decision, the red and white flag with the circle won over the green and white flag proposed by Achen (by 14 votes to 11).

Several people were dissatisfied with the decision not to adopt a Scandinavian cross flag. However, the flag now seems to have been accepted and appreciated. To me, the flag described by Andersson seems strange, and I wonder who proposed it.

Jan Oskar Engene, 1996-MAR-10

Greenland has a coat of arms with a white polar bear on blue.

Jan Oskar Engene, 1996-FEB-07

If you want to read a detailed account of the flag of Greenland, this is the article to look for:
Inge Kleivan: 'The creation of Greenland's new national symbol: the flag', in: Folk: Journal of the Danish Ethnographic Society, Vol. 30, 1988, pp. 32-56 (published annually in Copenhagen)

Jan Oskar Engene, 1995-OCT-18