Flag of Mozambique
Horizontal stripes of green, black and gold, divided by thin white bands, with a red triangle at the hoist. On the triangle is a gold star bearing an open book, with a rifle and a hoe crossed over it.
What the flag means
The constitution gives the meanings. Red is resistance to colonialism and the defence of sovereignty, green the wealth of the soil, black the African continent, gold the minerals underground, and white peace and the justice of the people's struggle. The star stands for international solidarity, and the book, hoe and gun for education, production and defence.
History
The flag is based on the first flag of FRELIMO, used during the handover from Portugal in 1974 and 1975. At independence on 25 June 1975 the People's Republic adopted a flag with diagonal stripes and a cogwheel emblem. After a short-lived change in April 1983, the cogwheel was dropped on 1 May 1983, giving the current design. A 2005 competition for a new flag drew 169 entries, but the Assembly of the Republic voted 155 to 79 against a change.
The gun is generally identified as an AK-47 with a bayonet, although the constitution names neither the model of rifle nor the number of points on the star.
Earlier flags of Mozambique
- 1975–1983Diagonal green, red, black and yellow stripes with a white cogwheel emblem
- 1983FRELIMO flag with the national emblem on a large yellow star
Flags of Mozambique's neighbours
Sources
- Wikipedia: Flag of Mozambique
- Flags of the World: Mozambique
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Read how we research flags in our editorial policy, or report a mistake.
