Flag of the Swedish-speaking Finns in countryside. The flag may have been used in the 16th century, As such, the flag is based on a proposal to civil ensign put forward by the Senate flag committee in 1917. This proposal included nine white roses in the upper left corner. It also contains the same colours as one of the candidates for the Finnish flag on independence in 1917 and may even have been a proposal for the state flag itself. The current blue and white state flag became official on 28 May 1918. The colours are traditional and based on the red and yellow of
Flag of Norway Norwegian government's web pages. However, Norwegian flag producers consider this red colour to be incorrect, and have complained that the Norwegian state propagates what they perceive as misinformation. Norwegian authorities have clarified that the red colour is only an internal recommendation intended specifically for screen printing, and not a legal definition. Flag producers normally use the red colours 186 or 200. The Nordic Council currently defines the red colour as "Pantone 186 C" and the blue as "Pantone 287", according to the Nordic Flag Society Four years ago the same website mentioned the blue colour as "Pantone 301". On page