Flag of Ethiopia
Ethiopia's flag has green, yellow and red horizontal stripes, with a blue disc in the centre holding a yellow star with yellow rays.
At a glance
- Adopted
- 1996the green-yellow-red tricolour dates from 1897; the blue disc with a star was added in 1996 (sources give February or October 1996), and the blue was made darker in 2009
- Shape (height : width)
- 1:2
- Capital
- Addis Ababa
- Continent
- Africa
- Colours
- green
- yellow
- red
- blue
What it means
- Green: hope, or the land and its fertility; sources word this differently
- Yellow: usually peace and harmony between Ethiopia's many peoples and religions
- Red: the lives given to defend Ethiopia
- Blue disc: peace (and, in one government explanation, democracy)
- Star and rays: the unity and equality of all Ethiopia's peoples, and a bright future
Where it came from
Green, yellow and red were used in Ethiopia long before they became a national flag, and they were also colours of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Emperor Menelik II adopted a green-yellow-red tricolour in October 1897.
Because Ethiopia stayed independent while almost all of Africa was colonised, many African countries later copied its colours as a tribute. They became known as the Pan-African colours.
History
Menelik's first flag had the first letter of his name in the middle stripe; it was removed after his death in 1913. For many years the imperial flag also showed the Lion of Judah. The order of the stripes has changed over time, and in 1914 green was placed on top.
After the emperor was overthrown in 1974, the lion was removed and different emblems were used. The present emblem, a star on a blue disc, was added in 1996, and a 2009 law made it the only legal national flag, with a darker blue disc.
Fun facts
- Ethiopia's colours inspired the flags of many African countries, such as Ghana, Guinea and Mali.
- The Lion of Judah flag is still loved by the Rastafari movement.
- Ethiopia has a Flag Day in its own calendar, in the month of Tikimt (September-October).
- A plain flag without the star is common, but by law the official flag must have the emblem.
Easy to mix up with
Bolivia
LithuaniaQuestions
What does the flag of Ethiopia look like?
Ethiopia's flag has green, yellow and red horizontal stripes, with a blue disc in the centre holding a yellow star with yellow rays.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of Ethiopia mean?
Green: hope, or the land and its fertility; sources word this differently; Yellow: usually peace and harmony between Ethiopia's many peoples and religions; Red: the lives given to defend Ethiopia; Blue disc: peace (and, in one government explanation, democracy); Star and rays: the unity and equality of all Ethiopia's peoples, and a bright future.
When was the flag of Ethiopia adopted?
The current flag of Ethiopia was adopted on 1996. (the green-yellow-red tricolour dates from 1897; the blue disc with a star was added in 1996 (sources give February or October 1996), and the blue was made darker in 2009)
What colours are on the flag of Ethiopia?
The flag of Ethiopia uses green, yellow, red and blue.
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of Ethiopia?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of Bolivia. Bolivia has the same three colours, but in the order red, yellow, green from the top
Famous landmarks in Ethiopia
🎯 Play the flag quiz 🌍 Play the globe
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)