Flag of Mongolia

Meaning and history of the flag of Mongolia

Mongolia's flag consists of three vertical stripes: red at the hoist, blue in the center, and red at the fly. On the hoist-side red stripe is the Soyombo, an ancient Mongolian national symbol, rendered in golden yellow. It was adopted in its current form on February 12, 1992, following the country's transition to democracy.

The central sky-blue stripe symbolizes the Eternal Blue Sky (Tengri), a concept of deep spiritual importance to the Mongolian people and their shamanic traditions. Red represents the Mongolian people's capacity to thrive and move forward. The Soyombo is an intricate symbol incorporating fire, sun, moon, arrows, rectangles, and the yin-yang, each element carrying specific meanings tied to Mongolian cosmology and values.

The Soyombo is one of the most elaborate and ancient national emblems to appear on any flag, tracing its origins to the 17th century and the alphabet devised by the Buddhist monk Zanabazar. The earlier flag, used during the socialist period, added a Communist star above the Soyombo, which was removed in 1992. A vertical tricolor bearing a symbol on one of its side stripes is an unusual format in world vexillology.

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