Flag of Madagascar

Meaning and history of the flag of Madagascar

Madagascar's flag consists of a vertical white stripe on the hoist side and, in the remaining half, two horizontal stripes, red on top and green below. It was adopted on October 14, 1958, two years before full independence from France, and has remained unchanged since.

The red and white recall the colors of the old flag of the Merina Kingdom, the dominant ethnic group that unified much of the island in the 19th century. Green represents the coastal communities known as côtiers, a key part of the country's ethnic diversity. Together, the three colors symbolize national unity.

Madagascar's flag design is distinctive for combining a vertical stripe at the hoist with horizontal stripes elsewhere, a layout rarely seen in world vexillology. Unlike many African flags that adopted pan-African colors, Madagascar chose colors rooted in its own pre-colonial history.

You can view the flag of Madagascar in high resolution above and download it in several sizes for personal, educational or reference use. To explore more, visit the full Madagascar profile, its map, or the current local time in Antananarivo.