CIRCA - 1960 🇨🇾 - copper-colored silhouette of the island map with two gold olive branches below on a white field

HISTORY: The winning design from a public competition of the newly formed bi-communal state upon gaining independence

from Great Britain - deliberately avoiding the blue🔍 & white of the Greek flag🔍 + the red & white of Turkey's flag🔍 to

mitigate ethnic divisions between Greek & Turkish Cypriots.

[Since the 1974 Turkish invasion & subsequent division of the island, the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus employs its own TRNC flag🔍]

VEXILLOLOGY:* Intended to foster unity:

• The WHITE Field symbolizes  ☮︎ peace

• The 2 Gold Olive 🌿 Branches represent reconciliation between the Greek & Turkish communities

• The Copper of the Map references the island's historical association with copper mining, (from which its name likely derives.)

* The STUDY of FLAGS; their history, symbolism, usage, and design. From Latin vexillum - referring to a Roman military standard / flag (from velum= cloth/ covering/sail/curtain

[PIE🔍 root weg = to weave / to cover]) + Greek suffix -logia = study]