Flag of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Description
- Two vertical stripes of green and orange at the hoist, beside a maroon panel bearing a gold lion holding a sword, all within a yellow border and with a bo leaf in each corner of the maroon panel
- Originally adopted in 1951 and modified in 1972 with four bo leaves replacing spearheads
Trivia
- Also known as the Lion Flag, the design is based on the royal standard of the last king of Kandy, seized by the British in 1815
- The bo leaves represent the four Buddhist virtues of kindness, compassion, equanimity, and happiness
- The flag is among the oldest continuous national symbols still in use, with the lion motif dating back more than two millennia
Flag of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka's flag, often called the Lion Flag, was first adopted in 1951 and modified on 22 May 1972 when the country became a republic. The design is based on the royal standard of the last king of Kandy, which the British seized in 1815 at the end of the Kandyan Wars.
A maroon rectangle holds a gold lion grasping a sword, with a stylised bo leaf in each corner representing the Buddhist virtues of kindness, compassion, equanimity, and happiness. Two vertical stripes of green and orange at the hoist stand for the Muslim and Tamil minorities, while the maroon field and lion represent the Sinhalese majority. A yellow border surrounds the entire design, symbolising the Buddhist middle path and the nation unifying all communities.
json:data
{
"g": "nf,asia,south-asia",
"ns": "sri-lanka",
"id": "sri-lanka",
"index": "c/sri-lanka",
"title": "Flag of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka",
"ratio": "1:2",
"colors": [
{
"color": "maroon",
"hex": "#8D153A",
"note": "Represents the Sinhalese majority and the gold lion of the ancient Kingdom of Kandy"
},
{
"color": "yellow",
"hex": "#F5C518",
"note": "Border representing the Buddhist teaching of the middle path and unifying all communities"
},
{
"color": "green",
"hex": "#00534E",
"note": "Vertical stripe representing the Muslim minority"
},
{
"color": "orange",
"hex": "#EB7400",
"note": "Vertical stripe representing the Tamil minority"
}
],
"desc": "- Two vertical stripes of green and orange at the hoist, beside a maroon panel bearing a gold lion holding a sword, all within a yellow border and with a bo leaf in each corner of the maroon panel\n - Originally adopted in 1951 and modified in 1972 with four bo leaves replacing spearheads\n",
"article": "sri-lanka/flag.md",
"use": {
"as": "national flag",
"since": "1972-05-22"
},
"of": {
"country": "sri-lanka"
},
"countryData": {
"name": "Sri Lanka",
"officialName": "Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka",
"continent": "asia",
"location": "island in the Indian Ocean, South Asia",
"un": "member"
},
"trivia": "- Also known as the Lion Flag, the design is based on the royal standard of the last king of Kandy, seized by the British in 1815\n - The bo leaves represent the four Buddhist virtues of kindness, compassion, equanimity, and happiness\n - The flag is among the oldest continuous national symbols still in use, with the lion motif dating back more than two millennia\n",
"flag": "sri-lanka/flag.svg",
"_name": "Sri Lanka",
"_namespace": "sri-lanka",
"_namePart": ""
}