Horizontally divided into white, green, and red, it is widely considered that it based the Russian Empire's white, blue and red flag. However, in the official explanation, the three colors are said to symbolize the old armines of Bulgaria. Made official after being freed from the control of the Ottoman Empire in 1879, and during the Communist days, heraldic emblems symbolizing farmers and workers were depicted, but after democratization in 1990, these were removed.