Flag of Mongolia
Mongolia's flag has three upright stripes, red, blue and red, with a golden symbol called the Soyombo on the red stripe nearest the pole.
At a glance
- Adopted
- February 12, 1992the communist star was removed in 1992; exact official colours were fixed by a national standard in 2011
- Shape (height : width)
- 1:2
- Capital
- Ulaanbaatar
- Continent
- Asia
- Colours
- red
- blue
- golden yellow
What it means
- Blue stripe: the eternal blue sky, which is very important in Mongolian tradition
- Red stripes: officially progress and prosperity; some sources also say eternity
- Soyombo: a group of shapes for fire, sun, moon, earth and water; the three flames are often explained as past, present and future
- Two fish (yin-yang) in the Soyombo: fish never close their eyes, so they stand for watchfulness and wisdom
- Two upright bars in the Soyombo: a fortress wall: when people stand together, the country is strong
Where it came from
The Soyombo is an old Mongolian symbol. It was a state symbol already in the 1910s and was chosen again by the Mongolian People's Republic in 1924. The basic layout of today's flag, red-blue-red with the Soyombo at the hoist, dates from the 1940s. Wikipedia credits the artist Dodiin Choidog with the design.
History
After independence in 1911, Mongolia used a yellow flag with a Soyombo and Buddhist decorations. From 1924 the country used red flags with a state emblem. Under communism a five-pointed star sat above the Soyombo; sources give 1945 or 1949 as the date of that version.
In 1992, with a new democratic constitution, the star was taken away and the Soyombo was redrawn a little. In 2011 a national standard fixed the exact shades of red, blue and yellow.
Fun facts
- The flag is twice as long as it is tall, a 1:2 shape.
- Some Western books wrongly show the Soyombo in blue; the real one is golden.
- Mongolia's very first flag, from 1911, was yellow and had long red silk tails.
Easy to mix up with
Laos: Laos is also red-blue-red, but its stripes run sideways and it has a white circle in the middle
Questions
What does the flag of Mongolia look like?
Mongolia's flag has three upright stripes, red, blue and red, with a golden symbol called the Soyombo on the red stripe nearest the pole.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of Mongolia mean?
Blue stripe: the eternal blue sky, which is very important in Mongolian tradition; Red stripes: officially progress and prosperity; some sources also say eternity; Soyombo: a group of shapes for fire, sun, moon, earth and water; the three flames are often explained as past, present and future; Two fish (yin-yang) in the Soyombo: fish never close their eyes, so they stand for watchfulness and wisdom; Two upright bars in the Soyombo: a fortress wall: when people stand together, the country is strong.
When was the flag of Mongolia adopted?
The current flag of Mongolia was adopted on February 12, 1992. (the communist star was removed in 1992; exact official colours were fixed by a national standard in 2011)
What colours are on the flag of Mongolia?
The flag of Mongolia uses red, blue and golden yellow.
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of Mongolia?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of Laos. Laos is also red-blue-red, but its stripes run sideways and it has a white circle in the middle
Famous landmarks in Mongolia
🎯 Play the flag quiz 🌍 Play the globe
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)