Flag of Mauritania

Mauritania
Use National flag and ensign
Adopted April 1, 1959
Design A green field; charged with a golden upward-pointed crescent and star

The flag of Mauritania is the common name for the national flag of Mauritania in north-west Africa. The flag was adopted on April 1, 1959.[1] It was introduced under the instructions of Moktar Ould Daddah,[2] and the subsequent constitution of 22 March 1959. It is almost unique among national flags as it does not contain any of the three most common flag colours; red, white, or blue - a distinction only shared with Jamaica.

Design

Waving flag of Mauritania

The colors green and gold are considered Pan-African colors.[3] Green is also used to symbolize Islam, and the gold for the sands of the Sahara desert. The crescent and star are symbols of Islam, which is the major religion in the nation. Some writers have also speculated that green symbolises a bright future, and growth.[1] There is no official specification or construction sheet for the exact relative measurements of the star and crescent, although the flag's measurements are 2:3.[1]

Use

The design acts as the national flag of Mauritania, and is also used in circular form as an aircraft roundel.[1]

The current constitution of 12 July 1991 specifies that:[4]

The national emblem is a flag with a crescent and a gold star on a green ground
— 12 July 1991, Constitution of Mauritania

Unlike the seal, the exact flag is specified, not merely the right for a law to specify it at some later date.[4] However, the flag has its official basis in the earlier constitution of 22 March 1959;[1] no changes were made after the country's declaration of independence in 1960.[5]

Similar Flags

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 (Flag of) Mauritania at Flags of the World Accessed 27 August 2009.
  2. ↑ France: Colonial Empire at Flags of the World. Jaume Ollé and Nozomi Kariyasu, 17 June 1998. Accessed 27 August 2009.
  3. ↑ Pan-African Colours at Flags of the World Accessed 27 August 2009.
  4. 1 2 "Mauritania - Constitution". International Constitutional Law. 12 July 1991. Retrieved 27 August 2009.
  5. ↑ Whitney Smith (2001). Flag lore of all nations. p. 62. Available at Google Books, here (accessed 27 August 2009).
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