Flag of Mauritania
A green field with a red band along the top and bottom edges, each one-fifth of the flag's height. In the centre is a gold star above an upturned gold crescent.
What the flag means
The red bands were proposed in October 2016 by the governing UPR party for the blood shed by Mauritanians who fought against French rule. No official text gives a meaning for the green or the crescent and star. The usual explanation is that they are symbols of Islam.
History
The change came out of the national dialogue held in late 2016. After the Senate rejected a constitutional amendment on 22 March 2017, the flag and anthem changes went to a referendum on 5 August 2017, where voters approved them. Parliament passed the flag law on 12 October 2017, a decree followed on 25 October, and the new flag was first raised on Independence Day, 28 November 2017.
Exact colours and measurements were only published in the government's graphic guidelines of May 2020, two and a half years after the flag came into use.
Earlier flags of Mauritania
- 1959–2017Green field with a gold crescent and star, without the red bands
Flags of Mauritania's neighbours
Sources
- Wikipedia: Flag of Mauritania
- Flags of the World: Mauritania
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Read how we research flags in our editorial policy, or report a mistake.
