Flag of Cambodia

What the flag means

The 1993 constitution defines the flag with a picture and no written description. In an older explanation, blue stands for the monarchy, red for the nation and white for religion, matching the motto 'Nation, Religion, King'. A 2015 note from the Cambodian embassy to ASEAN gives red as courage, blue as territory and white as purity.

History

The flag was officially adopted on 29 October 1948 and used until October 1970, when Lon Nol's Khmer Republic replaced it. Angkor Wat, which had been on Cambodian flags since about 1875, appeared in yellow on the red flags of Democratic Kampuchea and the People's Republic of Kampuchea. The 1948 flag returned in 1993, after the election of a Constituent Assembly and the restoration of the monarchy.

It is one of four national flags that show a building; the others are those of Portugal, San Marino and Spain.

Earlier flags of Cambodia

1. 1976–1979Democratic Kampuchea: red with a yellow three-towered Angkor Wat
2. 1979–1989People's Republic of Kampuchea: red with a yellow five-towered Angkor Wat
3. 1989–1992State of Cambodia: red over blue with the yellow Angkor Wat

Flags of Cambodia's neighbours

• Laos
• Thailand
• Vietnam