Design | The official flag of Scania (Skåne in Swedish and Danish),[1] not used as much as the cross flag. |
---|---|
Scanian Cross Flag[2] | |
Use | Other |
Proportion | 14:17 |
Design | Red background with yellow cross. Proportions 3-1-3 in height and 3-1-4.5 in length. International colour code: Red=PMS 179 Yellow=108[2] |
The flag of Scania refers to two different flags, of which one is a banner of the provincial coat of arms featuring a griffin head, and the other a flag with a Scandinavian cross—known as the Scanian Cross Flag.[2] They both are used as a provincial flag representing Scania, the southernmost province of Sweden.
While the banner only represents Scania, some southern Swedish historians and other authorities[who?] assert that the cross flag represents the entire former Eastern Denmark (Skåneland), which is not just Scania but also Blekinge and Halland. The flag is sometimes seen also in Blekinge, but rarely in Halland.[3]
The cross flag is used by the Region when the council is in session, alongside the Swedish national flag, the European Union flag and the council's own banner,[4] so it's officially used. The traditional province of Scania also has arms bearing a red griffin head in a golden field, and the official flag of the province is thus a banner of arms based on this arms. (But is next to never used as a flag)[1] The modern provincial authorities also use banners-of-arms, one being the banner-of-arms of Scanian Regional Council[5] (i.e. the county council), adopted 9 February 1999: on a field of blue, a yellow crowned griffin head issuing from the bottom edge. County of Scania, Skåne län, also has an official flag consisting of the banner of arms:[2] on a field of yellow, a red griffin head, crowned blue.