Madagascar

3×5' nylon national flag of Madagascar.

Madagascar's red and white come from its royal past. They were the colors of the Merina kingdom that ruled much of the island before French colonization, and they echo the red and white of Indonesia, a reminder that the first Malagasy arrived by sea from Southeast Asia.

Design

A vertical white band at the hoist, with two equal horizontal bands of red over green filling the fly.

History & Symbolism

The flag was adopted on 14 October 1958, when Madagascar became an autonomous republic, two years before full independence in 1960. White stands for purity, red for sovereignty, and green for hope and for the coastal peoples who joined the independence movement.

Flag Specifications

• Adopted: 14 October 1958
• Official proportions: 2:3
• Colors: white, red, green

Vexillographer's Note

The white band is one third of the flag's length. Benin's flag has the same layout in green, yellow and red.

Humphrys Flag Company · Old City Philadelphia · Est. 1864