The flag of Cyprus (adopted 16 August 1960) shows a copper‑orange silhouette of the island above two crossed green olive branches on white. Designed by İsmet Güney under bi‑communal rules barring Greek or Turkish national colours and symbols, it signals peace and neutrality: white for peace, copper for mineral wealth, olive branches for reconciliation. Proportions are 3:2, and law regulates size, placement, and official use. Partition since 1974 has complicated practice, but the official flag remains the symbol of the Republic of Cyprus internationally.
Cyprus’s national flag, adopted on 16 August 1960 upon independence from the United Kingdom, is a rare example of a bi‑communal compromise codified in law. The Zurich–London Agreements that founded the Republic specified that the flag should avoid the colours and symbols of Greece and Turkey, the cultural homelands of the island’s two principal communities. A public competition produced the winning design by İsmet Güney, a Turkish Cypriot art teacher, whose simple, emblematic proposal met these constraints while evoking key features of Cypriot history and geology.
On a white field—universally read as peace—sits a copper‑orange silhouette of the island. Beneath it, two crossed green olive branches reinforce the theme of reconciliation. The choice of copper is literal as well as symbolic: Cyprus’s ancient mines shaped Mediterranean trade, and even the Latin term for copper (cuprum) derives from the island’s name. The green branches draw on classical and modern iconography of peace and on local flora.
Law prescribes a 3:2 ratio, the exact tonal values for copper and green, and the size and position of the island and branches. The emblem is centred, with the island’s long northeastern panhandle accurately depicted. Protocols govern display on public buildings, schools, and diplomatic missions, and co‑display with the European Union flag and other national flags. Desecration or unauthorized alteration is an offence; worn flags must be retired respectfully. The armed forces use distinct ensigns, but the national flag remains plain and emblematic.
Political division since 1974 complicates practice. In the internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus (the island’s south), the national flag is widely flown, often alongside the Greek flag in public spaces reflecting the Greek Cypriot majority’s affiliations. In the island’s north, the self‑declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (recognized only by Turkey) uses its own flag, modelled on Turkey’s. Despite this bifurcation, the 1960 flag remains the state’s marker at the United Nations, in the European Union, and wherever the Republic maintains diplomatic presence.
The flag’s uniqueness lies in its explicit neutrality and its refusal of ethnic heraldry. It foregrounds shared geography and the aspiration to coexistence rather than partisan lineage. While this symbolism has not resolved the island’s constitutional questions, it has furnished Cyprus with a clear, internationally respected emblem free of the divisive imagery that often haunts post‑colonial settlements.