Hüseyin SARAÇOĞLU

Günay KAYA

Flags are, besides being the independence symbols ofthe countries, designs that mean much for those countries. It has wide range of usage from Olympic games to international meetings, from national holidays to various ceremonies. Flag is a holy value for whose sake lives can be sacrificed. Although their shapes and colors vary, the common point of all of them is to be very important for the concerned country and to represent the liberty. The wars occurred throughout history have caused the foundation and the collapse of many countries. 20th century was the century which saw the most wars and in which millions ofhumans lost their lives. Especially Balkans was one ofthe unfortunate places in this subject. With Balkan Wars, 1st and 2nd World War and with the collapse of Yugoslavia, new countries have been founded in this region. In this article, the flags of 11 Balkan countries (Bulgaria, Rumania, Greece, Albania, Macedonia, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Monte Negro, Kosovo) will be examines, their common and different points will be determined, and the meaning oftheir colors will be explained. At the end ofthe article, a general assessment is done and focused on the reasons for choosing these colors.

Key Words: Flag, Balkan nations, human geograph, Yugoslavia