The Flag of the Murmansk Oblast of Russia consists of two horizontal bands of blue and red, the blue being four times wider than the red. Within the blue is a stylized yellow aurora, which takes up two fifths of the width of the flag.^[1] The aurora represents the fact that the Murmansk Oblast is north of the Arctic Circle. The blue represents beauty and greatness, and the red represents courage and strength.^[2] The flag is the winner of a design contest^[1] which was officially adopted on July 1, 2004.^[3]