Flag of Eritrea
Eritrea's flag has a big red triangle pointing from the flagpole to the far edge, a green triangle above it and a blue one below, and a golden olive wreath and branch in the red.
At a glance
- Adopted
- December 5, 1995first raised on 24 May 1993 at independence; in 1995 the number of leaves was set at 30 and the shape made longer (1:2)
- Shape (height : width)
- 1:2
- Capital
- Asmara
- Continent
- Africa
- Colours
- red
- green
- blue
- gold
What it means
- Green: farming and livestock
- Blue: the riches of the sea
- Red: the blood shed in the struggle for independence
- Gold olive wreath and branch: taken from the 1952 flag; olive branches are widely read as peace. The 30 leaves stand for the 30 years of struggle
Where it came from
The flag joins two older flags. Its triangles and colours come from the flag of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF), which fought for independence from Ethiopia. The golden olive wreath and upright branch come from the light blue flag that Eritrea used from 1952 to the early 1960s.
No single designer of today's flag is named in the sources.
History
In 1952 Eritrea became a self-governing area joined to Ethiopia, with a light blue flag showing green olive branches. Ethiopia's emperor later banned that flag and annexed Eritrea, and a 30-year struggle for independence followed.
The EPLF flag of the 1970s had red, green and blue triangles with a yellow star. At independence in 1993 the star was replaced by a gold wreath and branch. On 5 December 1995 the wreath was fixed at 30 leaves and the flag was made longer.
Fun facts
- The 30 leaves on the wreath match the 30 years of fighting for independence.
- Some people say the shape of the red triangle looks a bit like the shape of the country.
- People who wanted Eritrea to join Ethiopia mockingly called the old 1952 flag the "flag of the United Nations".
Easy to mix up with
Guyana: Guyana also has triangles pointing from the flagpole, but its colours are green, white, gold, black and red
Questions
What does the flag of Eritrea look like?
Eritrea's flag has a big red triangle pointing from the flagpole to the far edge, a green triangle above it and a blue one below, and a golden olive wreath and branch in the red.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of Eritrea mean?
Green: farming and livestock; Blue: the riches of the sea; Red: the blood shed in the struggle for independence; Gold olive wreath and branch: taken from the 1952 flag; olive branches are widely read as peace. The 30 leaves stand for the 30 years of struggle.
When was the flag of Eritrea adopted?
The current flag of Eritrea was adopted on December 5, 1995. (first raised on 24 May 1993 at independence; in 1995 the number of leaves was set at 30 and the shape made longer (1:2))
What colours are on the flag of Eritrea?
The flag of Eritrea uses red, green, blue and gold.
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of Eritrea?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of Guyana. Guyana also has triangles pointing from the flagpole, but its colours are green, white, gold, black and red
Famous landmarks in Eritrea
🎯 Play the flag quiz 🌍 Play the globe
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)