Flag of Lebanon
A white horizontal band between two red bands, the white twice as tall as each red. A green cedar tree in the centre touches both red bands.
What the flag means
Article 5 of the constitution describes the flag but gives no meaning. A common explanation is that red is the blood shed for independence, white is peace and the snow on the mountains, and the cedar stands for immortality. Whitney Smith's Flags and Arms Across the World links the red and white to the Qaysi and Yamani factions.
History
Under the French Mandate, Lebanon's flag was the French tricolour with a cedar on the white band. On 11 November 1943, ten days before independence, seven deputies agreed a new design, drawn by Saadi Al Munla. Henri Pharaon later said the idea was his, and Pierre Gemayel of the Kataeb party made a rival claim. Parliament wrote the flag into the constitution on 7 December 1943. In 1990 the cedar was standardised as entirely green.
National Flag Day, 21 November, marks the first raising of the flag at Bechamoun in 1943. Minister Boutros Harb declared it in 1979.
Earlier flags of Lebanon
- 1920–1943French tricolour with a cedar on the white band
Flags that look like this one
Austria has three equal red, white, red stripes. Latvia's red is a darker carmine and its white stripe is narrower. Lebanon has a green cedar tree. Peru's stripes are vertical.
Flags of Lebanon's neighbours
Sources
- Wikipedia: Flag of Lebanon
- Flags of the World: Lebanon
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Read how we research flags in our editorial policy, or report a mistake.
