Flag of Laos

Flag origins

Laos has red, blue and red horizontal bands, the blue center twice the width of either red band, with a white disc in the middle. First associated with Lao Issara in 1945, it became the national flag of the Lao People's Democratic Republic on 2 December 1975. Red recalls the struggle for independence, blue the country's wealth, and the white disc the moon over the Mekong and national unity.

Flag story

The disc is interpreted as the moon, not the sun. The former royal flag was red with a white three-headed elephant and parasol, recalling the historical kingdom of Lan Xang, the 'million elephants.' When the monarchy was abolished in 1975, those royal emblems gave way to a flag rooted in the independence movement.

Editorial notes and references

Edited by ABELHA WORKS. The English text translates the administrator-edited Japanese description. Legends should be distinguished from documented history. General reference links do not substantiate every statement in the text.

• Laos — general information on Wikipedia
• Japan MOFA: countries and regions (Japanese)

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