Flag of Bangladesh

Meaning and history of the flag of Bangladesh

The flag of Bangladesh has a dark green field with a red disc set slightly toward the hoist side. Green represents the country's lush vegetation and its vitality as a young nation, while the red disc symbolizes the sun rising over Bengal and the blood shed by those who fought for the country's independence in 1971.

The red disc is deliberately offset toward the hoist so that when the flag flies from a pole, the visual effect makes the circle appear centered. This optical device is shared by very few flags worldwide, with Japan's being another notable example. The flag was designed by the painter Quamrul Hassan and officially adopted on January 17, 1972, shortly after independence from Pakistan.

The red disc originally contained a golden map of Bangladesh, but it was removed in 1972 because it proved difficult to reproduce accurately on both sides of the flag. The design bears an obvious resemblance to the flag of Japan, which also places a disc on a plain field, and to that of Palau, which has a golden disc on a blue field. The simplicity of Bangladesh's flag makes its symbolism powerful and easy to recognize from a distance.

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