Flag of Mauritania

Flag origins

Mauritania's flag has a green field with a gold crescent and star and red bands at top and bottom. Green and the celestial symbols express the country's Islamic identity; gold is commonly linked with the Sahara and mineral wealth. The red bands, added in 2017, commemorate sacrifice and blood shed in defense of the homeland.

Flag story

From 1959 until 2017, the design consisted only of green and gold. A referendum on 5 August 2017 approved constitutional changes including a revised flag and anthem. Legislation followed in October, and the new flag was first raised on Independence Day, 28 November. Mauritania thus acquired red decades after independence in 1960.

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.

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

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