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The flag used by the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania (Ossetian: Цӕгат Ирыстон — Алани тырыса) and the Republic of South Ossetia (Ossetian: Хуссар Ирыстоны тырыса, romanized: Xwssar Ïrıstonı tırısa) and the is a tricolour, top to bottom white, red, and yellow. The flag is also said to represent the social structure of ancient Ossetian society, which was divided into three social groups forming an organic whole: the military aristocracy, the clergy, and ordinary people. The colours symbolise moral purity (white), martial courage (red) and wealth and prosperity (yellow). In blazons, the flag is described as Per fess Argent and Or, a fess Gules. The South Ossetian version was prescribed by the South Ossetian Constitution of 26 November 1990 and confirmed by the Regulation on the National Flag of 30 March 1992.The flag was created by South Ossetian historian and former leader of the Adamon Nykhas (Ossetian: Адæмон Ныхас, literally national assembly) independence movement Alan Chochiev and was first used as an emblem of this movement. The flag is also used by the pro-Georgian Provisional Administrative Entity of South Ossetia, formerly based in Kurta, which opposes the Russian-backed separatist government in Tskhinvali. The flags of North Ossetia-Alania and South Ossetia are almost identical, the only difference being the shades used. The flag of South Ossetia has identical proportions to the flag of North Ossetia-Alania (1:2), but slightly different colours (most noticeably darker shade of yellow). The flag is also similar to that of the Austrian state of Carinthia, the latter being essentially an ‘upside-down’ version of the Ossetian flag. Under the Soviet Union, North Ossetia had a predominantly red flag with blue trim on the left edge, the hammer and sickle and the words "North Ossetian ASSR" in both Russian and Ossetian. Shortly before the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was replaced with the present flag, which was adopted on October 2, 1991.