Malawi

3×5' nylon national flag of Malawi.

Malawi is a rare case of a nation changing its flag and then changing it back. A new design was introduced in 2010 and dropped in 2012, and the original rising sun returned.

Design

Three equal horizontal bands of black, red and green, with a red rising sun of 31 rays in the center of the black band.

History & Symbolism

The flag was adopted at independence from Britain on 6 July 1964. Black stands for the peoples of Africa, red for the blood of those who struggled for freedom, and green for the land. The rising sun is the dawn of hope and freedom; its 31 rays mark Malawi as the thirty-first African nation to win independence. In 2010 the government replaced it with a full white sun on a reordered flag, but the change was unpopular and the original was restored on 28 May 2012.

Flag Specifications

• Adopted: 6 July 1964; restored 28 May 2012
• Official proportions: 2:3
• Colors: black, red, green
• Emblem: rising sun of 31 rays

Vexillographer's Note

The sun rises from the bottom edge of the black band, with only its upper half and rays visible.

Humphrys Flag Company · Old City Philadelphia · Est. 1864