The national flag of Finland, also known in Finnish as the siniristilippu ('Blue Cross Flag'), dates from the beginning of the 20th century. The flag was adopted after independence from the Russian Empire, but its design has roots in the 19th century. Symbolically, blue is said to represent the country's thousands of lakes and the sky, and white the snow that covers the land in winter. The Nordic cross pattern connects to the shared tradition with other Nordic countries. According to tradition, the flag was based on a design by the poet Zachris Topelius in about 1860.