The national flag of Mali (drapeau national du Mali) is a tricolour with three equal vertical stripes. From the hoist (the place where the flagpole meets the flag) the colours are green, gold, and red, the pan-African colours. The flag of Mali is almost identical to the flag of Guinea, with the exception that the colours are in reverse order.
 | |
| Use | National flag   |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Adopted | 4 April 1959 |
| Design | A vertical tricolour of green, gold and red. |
History
The current flag was adopted on 1 March 1961. The original flag was adopted on 4 April 1959, when Mali joined the Mali Federation. This flag was the same, except the golden stripe had a black kanaga, a shape of a squatter man with arms raised to the sky. The figure was removed due to the opposition, in a country whose population is 90% Muslim (95% Sunni 5% Shia), of Islamic fundamentalists[1] (see Aniconism in Islam, the belief against making pictures of the human figure).[2]
Symbolism
The green stands for fertility of the land, gold stands for purity and mineral wealth, and the red symbolizes the blood shed for independence from the French.[3]
Colour scheme
 |
|
Green | Yellow | Red |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pantone | 2271c | 115c | 3546c |
| CMYK | 91-0-100-0 | 0-9-100-0 | 0-86-63-0 |
| RGB | 20-181-58 | 252-209-22 | 206-17-38 |
| Hexadecimal | #14B53A | #FCD116 | #CE1126 |
Historical flags
| Flag | Years of use | Ratio | Government | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
c. 1324 | Mali Empire (possible) | A reconstruction of the banner used by Musa I on the hajj, a possible historical flag of the Mali Empire. It consisted of a yellow rectangle centered on a red field. | |
 |
1880–1958 | 2:3 | French Sudan[lower-alpha 1] | The French tricolor was used as the official flag of French Sudan for most of its history. |
.svg) |
1958–1959 | 2:3 | A new flag was adopted in 1958, when French Sudan gained autonomy within the French Community. It consisted of the French tricolor with a black Kanaga centered on the white band. | |
.svg) |
1959–1960 | 2:3 | Mali Federation | The flag initially adopted on Malian independence consisted of a vertical tricolor of green, gold, and red with a black Kanaga centered on the gold band. |
| 1960-1961 | Republic of Mali | |||
|
1961–present | 2:3 | The current flag of Mali was adopted on 1 March 1961, removing the Kanaga featured on the previous flag. | |
Other flags
Historical flag of the Massina Empire (1818–1862), located in the present-day regions of Mopti and Ségou
Historical flag of the Wassoulou Empire (1878–1898), located in the Wassoulou region (part of present-day Mali, Guinea, and Côte d'Ivoire).
Flag of the Arab Movement of Azawad, a militant organization active in Azawad/northern Mali.
Flag of the Imghad Tuareg Self-Defense Group and Allies, a militant organization active in the Gao and Kidal regions.
Flag of the Movement for the Salvation of Azawad, a militant organization and political movement active in the Gao and Kidal regions.
Roundel of the Mali Air Force
Roundel of the Mali Air Force (variant)
See also
- List of Malian flags
- Coat of arms of Mali
- Flag of Senegal, a very similar flag
- Flag of Guinea, a mirrored version of the flag
- Flag of Bolivia, a rotated version of the flag
- Pan-African colours
Notes
- The colonial region of French Sudan went through a number of administrative reorganizations between 1880 and 1959, changing names several times throughout the process. See: French Sudan § Administration and jurisdiction
References
External links
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