Flag Fact Friday: Croatia

The Croatian flag has undergone numerous changes that followed the political events in the country. After the establishment of socialist Croatia in 1949, Pan-Slavic tricolor (blue, white, red) was chosen as the official flag together with the Yugoslav guerrilla star in the middle. After gaining independence in 1991, the star was replaced with a coat of arms of the country and a crown was later added in order to distinguish the flag from the Ustasha flag. The flag and the coat of arms have great importance for Croatians. Checkered shield of the coat of arms represents the Croatian nation and five small crests represent Croatian provinces - Old Croatia from the left, Dubrovnik, Dalmatia, Istria, and Slavonia.