Flag of the Maldives

Meaning and history of the flag of the Maldives

The Maldives flag has a red field with a large green rectangle at the center, inside which sits a white crescent moon oriented toward the hoist side. It was officially adopted on July 25, 1965, coinciding with the country's independence from British protectorate status.

The red border symbolizes the courage of national heroes and the blood shed in defense of the homeland. The green center represents peace and prosperity, and also evokes the archipelago's abundant palm trees. The white crescent is the symbol of Islam, the state religion and the faith of nearly the entire Maldivian population.

The Maldives flag is one of the few in the world to combine a rectangle of one color set inside a field of another, creating a framed effect. Its design differs from other Islamic flags in the orientation of the crescent, which faces away from the hoist side, an unusual choice in vexillology. Earlier historical versions of the flag featured diagonal red and white stripes before the current design was adopted.

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