Flag of Moldova

This national flag features a vertical tricolor arrangement of blue, yellow, and red stripes. Centered on the middle yellow band is the state coat of arms, which depicts a brown eagle holding a cross in its beak, an olive branch in its right claw, and a mace in its left claw. The eagle's chest is covered by a red and blue shield containing a stylized aurochs head, a rose, a crescent, and a star.

Blue represents the sky and the pursuit of peace, while the yellow stripe signifies the justice and wealth of the nation's agricultural lands. The red band commemorates the courage and blood shed by ancestors who defended the territory throughout history. Within the coat of arms, the eagle refers to the Roman roots of the populace, and the aurochs head serves as the traditional symbol of the medieval Principality of Moldavia.

Moldova officially adopted this tricolor on May 12, 1990, shortly before the country declared independence from the Soviet Union. Its design replaced the previous flag of the Moldavian SSR, which consisted of a red field with a horizontal green stripe. While the tricolor was established in 1990, the government passed a law in 2010 to ensure the coat of arms appeared on both the obverse and reverse sides. The selection of these specific colors was heavily influenced by the 1848 revolutionary flags used in the region.