The flag of Estonia consists of a horizontal tricolor of cornflower blue, black, and white color. For the first time, it appeared in 1881 as a symbol of the student movement Vironia in Otepää. The blue color represents the Estonian sea, sky and lakes and sometimes it is also considered a symbol of honesty. Black should commemorate sorrows of the Estonian population but it also refers to the traditional black vest of local farmers. White indicates snow, which covers Estonian soil for a large part of the year, and it also expresses the desire for freedom. For this reason, the flag was banned by the Soviet regime between the years 1940 and 1990 and it has not been officially readopted until 1990 when Estonia became independent state.
City of Tallinn's flag
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