Flag of Djibouti
Djibouti's flag has a light blue stripe over a green stripe, with a white triangle at the flagpole side holding a red five-pointed star.
At a glance
- Adopted
- June 27, 1977
- Shape (height : width)
- 2:3
- Capital
- Djibouti
- Continent
- Africa
- Colours
- light blue
- green
- white
- red
What it means
- Light blue: the sky and the sea; it is also often said to stand for the Issa Somali people
- Green: the earth; it is also often said to stand for the Afar people
- White triangle: peace
- Red star: unity; the national anthem also links red to the blood of those who died for independence
Where it came from
The design comes from the flag of the Front for the Liberation of the Somali Coast (FLCS), a group that fought for independence from France. The national flag keeps the same layout and colours as that party flag.
Sources do not agree on who drew it. One flag reference credits the independence politician Mahamoud Harbi, but other sources name no designer.
History
Before French rule, flags of the Ottoman Empire, the Sultanate of Tadjoura and religious flags were used in the area. From the 1890s it was a French colony, first called French Somaliland and from 1967 the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas. During that time the French tricolour was used.
In a 1977 referendum almost 99 percent voted for independence. The new flag was raised for the first time on independence day, 27 June 1977, and it has not changed since.
Fun facts
- Djibouti's flag was born as the flag of an independence movement, years before the country existed.
- The two stripes stand for the country's two largest peoples, the Issa and the Afar, in a popular reading.
- Flag experts have found different official sketches, so even the exact ratio has been debated.
Easy to mix up with
Cuba
SomaliaQuestions
What does the flag of Djibouti look like?
Djibouti's flag has a light blue stripe over a green stripe, with a white triangle at the flagpole side holding a red five-pointed star.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of Djibouti mean?
Light blue: the sky and the sea; it is also often said to stand for the Issa Somali people; Green: the earth; it is also often said to stand for the Afar people; White triangle: peace; Red star: unity; the national anthem also links red to the blood of those who died for independence.
When was the flag of Djibouti adopted?
The current flag of Djibouti was adopted on June 27, 1977.
What colours are on the flag of Djibouti?
The flag of Djibouti uses light blue, green, white and red.
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of Djibouti?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of Cuba. Cuba also has a star in a hoist triangle, but its triangle is red, the star is white, and it has five stripes
Famous landmarks in Djibouti
🎯 Play the flag quiz 🌍 Play the globe
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)