Flag of Basque Country (autonomous community)
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| Name | Ikurriña |
|---|---|
| Use | Civil and state flag |
| Proportion | 14:25 |
| Adopted | 18 December 1978 |
| Design | A red field with the white central cross that extends to the edges of the flag superimposed on the green diagonal cross that extends to the corners of the flag. |
| Designed by | Luis Arana and Sabino Arana |
The ikurrina flag (in Basque) or ikurriña (Spanish spelling of that Basque word) is a Basque symbol and the official flag of the Basque Country Autonomous Community of Spain. This flag consisting of a white cross over a green saltire on a red field.
The name is a neologism by Luis and Sabino Arana, from ikur "mark, sign" (itself a neologism extracted from irakurri "to read"), compare to Catalan Senyera and Faroese Merkið. In Basque, it has the generic meaning of "flag," but specially the one of the Basque Country, as defined by the Euskaltzaindia (Royal Academy of the Basque Language). The original Biscayne spelling of the Aranas was ikuŕiñ (the final -a is the Basque definite article). The modern standard Basque spelling is ikurrin.
Similar in pattern to the Union Flag, the flag was designed by the founders of the Basque Nationalist Party EAJ-PNV, Luis and Sabino Arana, and is commonly regarded as the national but unofficial symbol of the Basque Country (Euskal Herria). It is widely seen in the French Basque Country and forms part of the unofficial flag of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, the French overseas community in North America that was settled by French Basque and also many Spanish Basque sailors. The Ikurriña is also the flag of the Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ-PNV). A controversy exists because at first it was only the symbol of a section of the party (the section of Biscay) and many persons thought that another flag must represent the territory.
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