The Chechen Republic is one of the smallest constituent entities of the Russian Federation. It was formed in 1993, re-joined the Russian Federation in March 2003 according to the results of the referendum (after the end of the Second Chechen War). In this article we will talk in detail about the official symbols of the republic - the Chechen flag and coat of arms. What do they look like and what is the meaning of them?
Chechen Republic: general information
Chechnya (in Chechen: Nokhchijn Republic) is one of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation located in the eastern part of the North Caucasus. The area of the region is 15.6 thousand square meters. km, the population is almost one and a half million people. Capital: the city of Grozny with a population of 290 thousand people.
The republic is located within three orographic zones - lowland (north of the Terek river), foothill and mountainous. Chechnya borders on four other subjects of Russia: Ingushetia, North Ossetia, Dagestan, the Stavropol Territory, as well as the independent state of Georgia. The bowels of the republic are rich in gas, oil and various building materials.
The dominant ethnic group in the Chechen Republic are Chechens (about 95%). Representatives of some other nationalities also live here: in particular, Russians, Avars, Nogais, Kumyks, Ingush and Lezgins. According to the Constitution, in Chechnya, two languages have the status of the state: Chechen and Russian.
The republic, like any other subject of the Russian Federation, has its own official symbols. The Chechen flag and coat of arms were approved on the same day - June 22, 2004. We will describe them in more detail below.
Chechen flag
The current flag of the republic is a rectangular cloth of standard sizes (aspect ratio 2: 3). It is divided into three horizontal stripes: green, white and red. The ratio of the strips in thickness is as follows: 6: 1: 4. Around the perimeter, the Chechen flag is bordered with thin golden fringe. On the left, along the shaft, there is a white vertical strip, decorated with a national ornament of golden color.
Thus, the main colors of the Chechen flag are green, white and red. Each of them is endowed with a specific symbolic meaning:
- Green is the traditional color of the Islamic religion. In addition, in this case, he personifies the fertility and wealth of the Chechen land.
- White is the color of bright thoughts and desire for peace.
- The red color is nothing more than a reminder of the difficult history of Chechnya, the heroism and courage of its people.
Historical flags of Chechnya
The very first Chechen flag looked like this: a rectangular green panel with three white stars and a crescent moon on it. The banner belonged to the North Caucasus Emirate, created in 1919. The proclaimed Sharia monarchy did not have clear boundaries and covered the territories of present Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia.
In the mid-30s, the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was formed as part of the USSR. The flag of the republic repeated the banner of the RSFSR, but contained the name of the region in three languages: Russian, Chechen and Ingush.
From 1994 to 2000, the territory of modern Chechnya existed the self-proclaimed Republic of Ichkeria, which, despite such a short history of its existence, managed to acquire its own symbols and even its own currency. The flag of Ichkeria was a green flag with three thin horizontal stripes at the bottom - white, red and again white. Sometimes the flag was supplemented with the coat of arms of the republic in the form of a lying wolf surrounded by nine stars.
Chechen coat of arms
The modern coat of arms of Chechnya fully reflects the national mentality and place of the republic in Russia. It is presented in the form of a circle, in the center of which is a red Chechen ornament symbolizing eternity and unity, stylized Caucasus mountains, the Vainakhs tower and the oil rig. An inner white circle is surrounded by ears of wheat on a blue background with a star and a crescent. The outer circle is decorated with a red ribbon ornament. The color scheme of the Chechen coat of arms is based on four colors: red, white, blue and gold.
What does the emblem of Chechnya symbolize? The mountains and the oil rig reflect the natural and mineral wealth of the republic, and the Vainakh tower reflects the rich and eventful history of the region. The star and crescent are symbols of Islam. Golden wheat ears symbolize the agriculture of the region.
Historical Coats of Arms of Chechnya
The coat of arms of the North Caucasus Emirate was quite interesting. It depicted scales, probably symbolizing justice and equality. The banner of Ghazavat was placed on the left side of the scale, and the open book of the Koran was placed on the right side. The upper part of the coat of arms was decorated with a turban of a hajji with a crown, the lower part - a crescent with three stars. In the form of an emblem, this emblem was printed on paper money of the emirate.
The coat of arms of the Republic of Ichkeria was an image of a black she-wolf lying on a national ornament with a raised head. Nine stars were placed in the lower part of the coat of arms, which corresponded to the number of Chechen military-political communities - Tukhums. By the way, the sketch of the coat of arms of Ichkeria was designed by the wife of the first president of the unrecognized state, Dzhokhar Dudaev. And the she-wolf was copied by her from the image of Akela from the “Jungle Book” by Rudyard Kipling.