🇨🇾 The colours of Cyprus

Cyprus uses white, copper-orange, and olive green on its flag. White and olive branches are meant to show peace between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, while the copper map refers to the island’s copper resources. The colours and symbols were chosen to avoid favouring either community.

Where no official value is given, the swatch shows the colour family, not the exact shade.

• The flag shows a copper-orange map of Cyprus above two olive branches.
• White and olive green are used to symbolise peace between communities.
• No blue or red appears, avoiding the colours of Greece and Turkey.
• The copper colour refers to the island’s mineral wealth.
• Official shades and proportions have changed since 1960.

The colours of the flag of Cyprus

The Cypriot flag features a copper-coloured outline of the island above two olive branches, all set on a white background. The white field stands for peace and neutrality, while the olive branches are a sign of hope for harmony between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities. The copper colour of the island map points to Cyprus’s rich copper ore, which is thought to be the origin of the island’s name. These meanings are officially stated and were chosen to avoid symbols or colours linked to either Greece or Turkey.

How the colours were chosen of Cyprus

When Cyprus gained independence in 1960, a new flag was needed to replace the British colonial one. The constitution required a design that would not include blue or red, nor religious symbols like the cross or crescent, to avoid favouring either main community. Early suggestions, such as a brown K on white, were rejected. The final design, created by a Turkish Cypriot artist, used neutral symbols and colours. Over time, the exact shades and proportions have been updated, but the core idea of neutrality and peace has stayed the same.

Official shades and rules of Cyprus

The flag’s colours and layout are set by law. The original copper was Pantone 144-C, with olive green at Pantone 336-C; these later changed to Pantone 1385 for copper and Pantone 574 for green. The flag’s ratio changed from 3:5 to 3:2 in 2006, and the olive branches’ shape was slightly revised. The government has taken steps to ensure only flags meeting these standards are produced.