Finland Valtiolippu Flag 3 X 5 ft. Standard

This is the Finland state flag (“valtiolippu” is Finnish, meaning state flag). This flag is similar to the current Flag of Finland, with its blue Nordic cross and white background. It displays the Finnish Coat of Arms, a heraldic lion on a red field. The lion is seen crowned, with a raised sword in its right gauntleted fore leg, and trampling a curved Russian sabre. The lion, the crown and the sword and sabre handles are gold, as are the gauntlet joints. The field is adorned with nine roses. In its original form, this coat of arms was probably created in 1581, when King John III adopted the title of “Grand Duke of Finland and Karelia” (Karelia was an historical province of Finland, parts of which are now within Russia). Finland gained its independence in 1917, and the “lions arms” became the coat of arms of Finland.