Maldives

3×5' nylon national flag of the Maldives.

For centuries Maldivian ships flew plain red. The green panel and white crescent were added in the twentieth century, and the present design was fixed when the islands became independent in 1965.

Design

A red field with a large green rectangle at the center, bearing a white crescent with its horns toward the fly.

History & Symbolism

The flag was adopted on 25 July 1965, the day before independence from British protection. Until then it also carried a black and white striped band at the hoist, called the dhandimathi, which was dropped. Red stands for the courage of the nation's heroes, green for peace and prosperity and the coconut palms that sustain island life, and the crescent for Islam.

Flag Specifications

• Adopted: 25 July 1965
• Official proportions: 2:3
• Colors: red, green, white
• Emblem: white crescent

Vexillographer's Note

Most crescents on national flags open toward the fly. The Maldives' does, too; a crescent facing the hoist is a sign the flag is reversed.

Humphrys Flag Company · Old City Philadelphia · Est. 1864