Flag of Somalia
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Use | National flag and ensign ![]() |
---|---|
Proportion | 2:3 |
Adopted | October 12, 1954 (readopted in 2012) |
Design | A single white five-pointed star centered on a cyan field. |
Designed by | Mohammed Awale Liban |
The flag of Somalia (Somali: Calanka Soomaaliya, Arabic: علم الصومال), also known as the Somali flag, was adopted on October 12, 1954, and was designed by Mohammed Awale Liban. The flag was initially used within the Trust Territory of Somaliland[1] before being adopted by the short-lived State of Somaliland and the Somali Republic. It is an ethnic flag for the Somali people; the flag's five-pointed star represents the five regions in which Somalis reside.[2]
History
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/Somaliland_Flying_for_the_first_time_The_White_and_Blue_Somali_Flag_at_the_Independence_Celebrations_on_26_June_1960.jpg/230px-Somaliland_Flying_for_the_first_time_The_White_and_Blue_Somali_Flag_at_the_Independence_Celebrations_on_26_June_1960.jpg)
Beginning in the mid-19th century, areas in the Horn of Africa populated by Somalis were divided among Ethiopia, France, Britain, and Italy. The flag of Somalia was created in 1954 for the transitional trusteeship period of the nation's history. It was personally designed by the Somali scholar Mohammed Awale Liban, who was from the northern eastern side of Somalia after being selected to come up with a design in preparation for independence.[3][4] The flag was also used in the short-lived independent State of Somaliland between 26 June 1960 and 1 July 1960.
In Somaliland
The Somali flag is strictly prohibited in Somaliland.[5][6]
Characteristics
As an ethnic flag, the five-pointed white Star of Unity in its center represents the areas where the Somali ethnic group form the majority: Djibouti, Somaliland (former British protectorate), the Somali region in Ethiopia, the North Eastern Province in Kenya, and Somalia (Italian Somaliland).[7][8] However, the flag does not represent all the Somali regions anymore, going from an ethnic flag to the national flag of Somalia only. It now officially denotes the sky as well as the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel and the Somali Sea, which flank the country.[9]
Somali women at a Khatumo State launch ceremony wearing the Somali flag.
Construction
The flag of Somalia can be reproduced using the following construction plan:
Colours scheme
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Blue | White |
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RGB | 65/137/221 |
255/255/255
|
Hexadecimal | #4189DD |
#FFFFFF
|
CMYK | 71/38/0/13 |
0/0/0/0
|
Historical flags
The following are the flags historically used in the territory of present-day Somalia:[10]
Pre-colonial states
Flag of the Ajuran Empire (13th century–17th century)
Flag of the Adal Sultanate (1415–1577)
Flag of the Ottoman Empire (1559–1793)
Flag of the Omani Empire (1700–1856)
Religious banner of the Isaaq Sultanate derived from an Adal Sultanate flag (1700s–1884)
Flag of the Khedivate of Egypt (1874–1881)
Italian Somalia
Flag of Italian Somaliland (1889–1941)
Flag of Italian Somaliland under British occupation (1941–1950)
Official flag of Trust Territory of Somaliland (1950–1960)
flag of the UN (1950–1960)
Co-official/secondary flag of Trust Territory of Somaliland (1954–1960)
British Somaliland
Flag of the United Kingdom used in British Somaliland (1884–1903)
Flag of the British Raj used in British Somaliland (1884–1898)
Flag of British Somaliland (1903–1950)
Flag of British Somaliland (1950–1952)
Flag of British Somaliland (1952–1960)
Flag of State of Somaliland (26 June 1960 – 1 July 1960)
Subnational flags
Federal member states
See also
- List of Somali flags
- Flag of Bosnia & Herzegovina
- Flag of Djibouti
- Flag of Somaliland
- Flag of Israel
- Flag of Kosovo
- Soomaaliyeey toosoo
- Qolobaa Calankeed
- History of Somalia
- History of Somaliland
- Flag of Morocco, a nearly similar flag
- Flag of Vietnam, a similar flag
- Bonnie Blue Flag, a similar flag
- Flag of the Republic of West Florida
Notes
- ^ "Somalia". www.fotw.info.
- ^ "Somali Embassy in Belgium – Somali Flag". 2014-06-11. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ History of the flag
- ^ Maria Costantino, The Illustrated Flag Handbook, (Gramercy Books: 2001), p.185.
- ^ "Somaliland's Horn Stars band arrested over Somali flag". BBC News. 28 September 2015.
- ^ "Africa Live: Banned Nigerian athletes hold protest in Tokyo".
- ^ Znamierowski, Alfred (1999). The World Encyclopedia of Flags. p. 222. ISBN 0-7548-0167-5.
- ^ Talocci, Mauro (1982). Smith, Whitney (ed.). Guide to the Flags of the World. p. 131. ISBN 0-688-01141-1.
- ^ "The World Factbook – Somalia". Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on 15 September 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
- ^ "Somalia". www.worldstatesmen.org.
References
- CS1 maint: url-status
- Articles with short description
- Justapedia references cleanup from June 2021
- Articles with invalid date parameter in template
- All articles needing references cleanup
- Articles covered by Project Wikify from June 2021
- Articles containing Somali-language text
- Articles containing Arabic-language text
- National symbols of Somalia
- Flags of Africa
- Flags introduced in 1954
- Somali culture
- National flags
- Flags of Somalia
- 1954 establishments in Somalia