Flag of Slovenia
The national flag of Slovenia features three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red, with the Slovenian national coat of arms located in the upper hoist side of the flag centered in the white and blue bands. The coat of arms is a shield with the image of Mount Triglav, Slovenia's highest peak, in white against a blue background at the centre; beneath it are two wavy blue lines representing the Adriatic Sea and local rivers, and above it are three six-pointed golden stars arranged in an inverted triangle which are taken from the coat of arms of the Counts of Celje (Slovenian Grofje Celjski), the great Slovenian dynastic house of the late 14th and early 15th centuries).
Its colours are derived from older coats of arms and constituted the national colours before they were first arranged on a flag in 1848 during the rise of nationalism in Europe, its order inspired by the Russian flag. It continued to be associated with Slovenia during the country's incorporation into Yugoslavia. Following Slovenian independence from that state the coat of arms was added and the flag was officially adopted on June 27, 1991. Recently there has been a campaign to partially or completely alter the flag in order to enhance Slovenia's international recognition, and especially to differentiate it from Slovakia and its flag.
