The Flag of Greece' is based on nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white. There is a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white cross; the cross symbolises Greek Orthodoxy, the established religion of the country and the nine stripes are thought to represent the nine syllables of the phrase "'" ("Freedom or Death", " E-lef-the-ri-a i Tha-na-tos") though according to another theory, they symbolise also the nine Muses, the goddesses of art and civilisation. The official flag ratio is 7:12.
The color scheme of blue and white was first used in the 1820s and symbolises the colours of the famed Greek sky and sea (combined with the white clouds and waves). But the current form was not adopted as the national flag until 1978. Previously, in darker blue, it was only used at sea; the national flag was a simple white cross on a blue background.