# flag of South Ossetia

> flag

**Wikidata**: [Q209060](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q209060)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_South_Ossetia)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/flag-of-south-ossetia

## Summary
The flag of South Ossetia is the national flag representing the Republic of South Ossetia, officially adopted on March 30, 1992. It features a horizontal triband design with white, red, and yellow stripes arranged in a 2:1 aspect ratio. This symbol serves as the primary visual identifier for the jurisdiction of South Ossetia in international and domestic contexts.

## Key Facts
- **Adoption Date**: The flag was officially established on March 30, 1992.
- **Design Structure**: It is a horizontal triband (tierced per fess) consisting of three equal horizontal stripes.
- **Color Palette**: The stripes are colored white, red, and yellow from top to bottom.
- **Dimensions**: The flag maintains an aspect ratio of 2:1 (width to height).
- **Jurisdiction**: It applies specifically to the territory and governance of South Ossetia.
- **Classification**: It is categorized as a national flag.
- **Digital Identifiers**:
  - Freebase ID: `/m/07tc25`
  - Google Knowledge Graph ID: `/g/120t97zz`
  - BabelNet ID: `14295663n`
  - Flags of the World ID: `ge-so`
  - Fandom Article ID: `flags:South_Ossetia` (English, title "South Ossetia")
- **Multilingual Presence**: The entity has Wikipedia articles in 48 languages, including English, Russian, French, Japanese, Chinese, Ukrainian, and Ossetian.
- **Commons Category**: It is hosted under the category "Flags of South Ossetia" on Wikimedia Commons.
- **Visual Depiction**: The image file is available at `https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Flag_of_South_Ossetia.svg`.

## FAQs
**What are the specific colors and layout of the South Ossetia flag?**
The flag features a horizontal triband design with three equal stripes colored white, red, and yellow. This arrangement is technically described as "tierced per fess," meaning the field is divided horizontally into three parts.

**When was the flag of South Ossetia officially adopted?**
The national flag was officially adopted on March 30, 1992. This date marks the inception of the current design as the official symbol of the republic.

**Where can I find digital representations or articles about this flag?**
Digital versions are available as an SVG file on Wikimedia Commons, and detailed articles exist on Fandom and Wikipedia in 48 different languages. It is also indexed in databases like Freebase, BabelNet, and Flags of the World.

**What is the physical proportion of the flag?**
The flag is constructed with an aspect ratio of 2:1, meaning its width is exactly double its height. This specific dimension is a standard specification for the national banner.

## Why It Matters
The flag of South Ossetia serves as the definitive sovereign symbol for the Republic of South Ossetia, distinguishing its jurisdiction and identity on the global stage. Its adoption in 1992 marked a pivotal moment in the region's political history, establishing a visual standard for national representation. For researchers, diplomats, and historians, the flag acts as a critical reference point for identifying the entity in legal, cultural, and geographic contexts. The existence of extensive multilingual documentation and standardized digital identifiers ensures the flag remains a recognized and accessible symbol across various international platforms and knowledge bases.

## Notable For
- **Distinctive Color Scheme**: It is one of the few national flags utilizing a specific white-red-yellow horizontal triband configuration.
- **Historical Inception**: It represents a specific post-Soviet era adoption date of March 30, 1992.
- **Extensive Multilingual Coverage**: The entity is documented in 48 distinct languages, reflecting its broad recognition across diverse linguistic communities.
- **Standardized Digital Presence**: It holds unique, verified identifiers across major knowledge graphs including Freebase, Google, and BabelNet.
- **Technical Precision**: The flag is defined by the specific geometric ratio of 2:1 and the heraldic description "tierced per fess."

## Body

### Design and Specifications
The flag of South Ossetia is defined by a precise horizontal triband layout. The design consists of three equal horizontal bands colored white, red, and yellow. In heraldic and vexillological terms, this configuration is described as "tierced per fess." The physical dimensions of the flag adhere to a strict aspect ratio of 2:1, ensuring that the width is exactly twice the height. These specifications are consistent across official representations and digital archives. The visual depiction is standardized in an SVG format, ensuring scalability and clarity for digital and print media.

### Historical Context and Adoption
The inception of the flag occurred on March 30, 1992. This date marks the formal establishment of the flag as the national symbol of the Republic of South Ossetia. The adoption of this banner coincided with the broader political developments of the early 1990s in the region. Since its inception, the flag has served as the continuous national emblem for the jurisdiction. The design has remained consistent since its official introduction, serving as a stable identifier for the nation.

### Digital Identity and Classification
The flag is rigorously cataloged within major knowledge management systems. It is classified as a "national flag" and is linked to the entity "South Ossetia" as its applicable jurisdiction. The entity possesses a unique Freebase ID (`/m/07tc25`) and a Google Knowledge Graph ID (`/g/120t97zz`), facilitating machine-readable identification. It is also indexed in BabelNet with the ID `14295663n` and in the Flags of the World database under the code `ge-so`. On Wikimedia Commons, the flag is organized under the category "Flags of South Ossetia," and a dedicated article exists on the Fandom platform with the ID `flags:South_Ossetia`.

### Global and Linguistic Reach
The flag of South Ossetia has achieved significant visibility across the global information ecosystem. It is the subject of Wikipedia articles in 48 different languages, ranging from widely spoken languages like English, Russian, French, and Spanish to regional languages such as Ossetian, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese. This extensive linguistic coverage underscores the flag's importance in international discourse. The multilingual presence includes languages such as Afrikaans, Arabic, Azerbaijani, Belarusian, Bosnian, Catalan, Czech, Welsh, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Croatian, Hungarian, Armenian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Kurdish, Limburgish, Lithuanian, Latvian, Macedonian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Scots, Serbian, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese, Yoruba, and Chinese.

### Visual Representation and References
The primary visual representation of the flag is hosted on Wikimedia Commons, accessible via the file path `https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Flag_of_South_Ossetia.svg`. This image is referenced by authoritative sources, including the entity . The depiction explicitly includes the colors white, red, and yellow as qualifiers. The flag's design and history are further supported by references to academic and encyclopedic sources, such as the Ukrainian Wikipedia entry on the flag (referenced in the aspect ratio data). The consistent use of these digital assets ensures that the flag's appearance remains accurate and verifiable across all platforms.

## References

1. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
2. BabelNet