Flag of the Republic of Malta
Description
- Two equal vertical bands of white at the hoist and red at the fly
- A representation of the George Cross, edged in red, appears in the upper-hoist (canton) corner of the white field
- Adopted on 21 September 1964 when Malta gained independence from the United Kingdom
Trivia
- The George Cross was awarded to Malta by King George VI in 1942 for the island's bravery during WWII siege
- The white and red colours date to the banner of Count Roger of Sicily, who reconquered Malta from the Arabs in 1091
- Malta is the only country with a British military decoration depicted on its flag
Flag of Malta
The flag of Malta consists of two equal vertical bands — white at the hoist and red at the fly — with a red-bordered representation of the George Cross in the upper-hoist canton. The two colours are traditionally traced to the red-and-white banner of Count Roger of Sicily, who reconquered Malta from the Arabs in 1091 and, according to legend, tore a section from his own flag to honour Maltese support.
The George Cross was awarded to the Maltese people by King George VI on 15 April 1942 in recognition of the islands' heroic endurance under Axis siege during World War II. Initially placed on a blue canton in 1943, it was moved directly onto the white band when Malta gained independence on 21 September 1964. Malta is the only country to depict a British military decoration on its national flag.
json:data
{
"g": "nf,europe",
"ns": "malta",
"id": "malta",
"index": "c/malta",
"title": "Flag of the Republic of Malta",
"ratio": "2:3",
"use": {
"as": "national flag",
"since": "1964-09-21"
},
"colors": [
{
"color": "white",
"hex": "#FFFFFF",
"cmyk": "0/0/0/0",
"note": "The hoist half is white, one of the traditional colours associated with the Knights of Malta."
},
{
"color": "red",
"hex": "#CF142B",
"cmyk": "0/90/80/15",
"note": "The fly half is red, the second traditional colour of the Knights of Malta.",
"pantone": "186 C"
},
{
"color": "grey",
"hex": "#A0A0A0",
"cmyk": "0/0/0/40",
"note": "The George Cross in the canton is shown in grey with red fimbriation."
}
],
"desc": "- Two equal vertical bands of white at the hoist and red at the fly\n - A representation of the George Cross, edged in red, appears in the upper-hoist (canton) corner of the white field\n - Adopted on 21 September 1964 when Malta gained independence from the United Kingdom",
"article": "malta/flag.md",
"of": {
"country": "malta"
},
"countryData": {
"name": "Malta",
"officialName": "Republic of Malta",
"continent": "europe",
"un": "member"
},
"trivia": "- The George Cross was awarded to Malta by King George VI in 1942 for the island's bravery during WWII siege\n - The white and red colours date to the banner of Count Roger of Sicily, who reconquered Malta from the Arabs in 1091\n - Malta is the only country with a British military decoration depicted on its flag\n",
"flag": "malta/flag.svg",
"_name": "Malta",
"_namespace": "malta",
"_namePart": ""
}