 | |
| Use | Civil and state flag, civil ensign    |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 1:2 |
| Adopted | 15 June 1921 Restored on 27 February 1990 Current standardization on 28 November 2018 (in use since 1 January 2019) |
| Design | A carmine red field bisected by a narrow white stripe (one-fifth the width of the flag) |
| Designed by | Ansis Cīrulis |
 | |
| Use | Pennant  |
| Proportion | 5:1 |
| Adopted | 2009 |
| Design | A trapezoidal fabric ribbon corresponding to the colors and color proportions of the State Flag |
The national flag of Latvia (Latvian: Latvijas karogs) was used by independent Latvia from 1918 until the country was occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940. Its use was suppressed during Soviet rule. On 27 February 1990, shortly before the country regained its independence, the Latvian government re-adopted the traditional red-white-red flag.
Though officially adopted in 1921, the Latvian flag was used in as early as the 13th century. The red colour is sometimes described as symbolizing the readiness of the Latvians to give the blood from their hearts for freedom and their willingness to defend their sovereignty. An alternative interpretation, according to the Rhymed Chronicle of Livonia, is that a Latgalian leader was wounded in battle, and sheet on which he was laid on were stained by his blood with only the centre stripe of the sheet being left unstained. This story is similar to the legend of the origins of the flag of Austria.