Flag of the Republic of Madagascar
Description
- A vertical white band on the hoist side with two horizontal bands of red above green on the fly
- The unusual hoist-side vertical stripe distinguishes Madagascar from other tricolours
- Adopted on 14 October 1958 ahead of full independence from France on 26 June 1960
Trivia
- White and red were the traditional colours of the Merina kingdom that unified much of the island
- The flag was adopted two years before full independence from France
- Madagascar's flag has remained unchanged since 1958, surviving multiple republics
- The hoist-side vertical stripe is shared with few other national flags
Flag of Madagascar
Madagascar's flag consists of a vertical white band at the hoist and two horizontal bands of red above green on the fly. Adopted on 14 October 1958, ahead of full independence from France in 1960, the design blends the colours of the former Merina kingdom with green to represent the Hova peasant class. The combination of red and white originally flew over the Kingdom of Madagascar that unified much of the island in the nineteenth century.
Symbolically, white stands for purity, red for sovereignty, and green for hope and the island's coastal peoples. The flag's unusual layout, with a hoist-side vertical stripe rather than the typical canton or horizontal tricolour, distinguishes it from most post-colonial African flags and has remained unchanged through successive republics.
json:data
{
"g": "nf,africa",
"ns": "madagascar",
"id": "madagascar",
"index": "c/madagascar",
"title": "Flag of the Republic of Madagascar",
"ratio": "2:3",
"colors": [
{
"color": "white",
"hex": "#FFFFFF",
"note": "Represents purity; paired with red it recalls the Merina kingdom's colours."
},
{
"color": "red",
"hex": "#FC3D32",
"note": "Symbolises sovereignty and the Merina monarchy of pre-colonial Madagascar."
},
{
"color": "green",
"hex": "#007E3A",
"note": "Represents the Hova, the peasant class, and hope for a prosperous nation."
}
],
"desc": "- A vertical white band on the hoist side with two horizontal bands of red above green on the fly\n - The unusual hoist-side vertical stripe distinguishes Madagascar from other tricolours\n - Adopted on 14 October 1958 ahead of full independence from France on 26 June 1960",
"article": "madagascar/flag.md",
"use": {
"as": "national flag",
"since": "1958-10-14"
},
"of": {
"country": "madagascar"
},
"countryData": {
"name": "Madagascar",
"officialName": "Republic of Madagascar",
"continent": "africa",
"location": "Indian Ocean, off southeast Africa",
"un": "member"
},
"trivia": "- White and red were the traditional colours of the Merina kingdom that unified much of the island\n - The flag was adopted two years before full independence from France\n - Madagascar's flag has remained unchanged since 1958, surviving multiple republics\n - The hoist-side vertical stripe is shared with few other national flags",
"flag": "madagascar/flag.svg",
"_name": "Madagascar",
"_namespace": "madagascar",
"_namePart": ""
}