Flag of Finland as its Grand Master. Like Sweden's, Finland's national flag is based on the Scandinavian cross. It was adopted after independence from Russia, when many patriotic Finns wanted a special flag for their country, but its design dates back to the 19th century. The blue colouring is said to represent the country's thousands of lakes and the sky, with white for the snow that covers the land in winter. This colour combination has also been used over the centuries in various Finnish provincial, military, and town flags. The first known "Flag of Finland" was presented in 1848, along with the national
Order of the Cross of the Eagle the Eagle comprises eight classes: The crosses of all the classes of the Order of the Cross of the Eagle have the same design. The colour tone of the orange moiré ribands belonging to the decorations of all the classes of the Order of the Cross of the Eagle is determined according to the international PANTONE colour-table as 137 MC. The Order of the Cross of the Eagle is a military decoration if two crossed swords are affixed to it as follows: The medals of the affiliated crosses of the Order of the Cross of the Eagle have swords in