Flag of Yemen

What the flag means

Red is usually explained as the blood of martyrs and unity, white as a bright future and black as the dark days of the past.

History

Yemen adopted the flag on 22 May 1990, the day North and South Yemen united. Both earlier states flew red, white and black stripes based on the Arab Liberation Flag. The new flag kept the stripes and dropped North Yemen's green star and South Yemen's light blue triangle and red star. The breakaway Democratic Republic of Yemen briefly used the South Yemen flag again in 1994.

The design is the same as the flag Libya used from 1969 to 1972.

Earlier flags of Yemen

1. 1962–1990North Yemen: red, white and black with a green star in the centre
2. 1967–1990South Yemen: red, white and black with a light blue triangle and red star

Flags that look like this one

EgyptIraqYemen

Red, white and black stripes. Egypt has a golden eagle and Iraq has green Arabic script. Yemen's flag is the plain tricolour.

Flags of Yemen's neighbours

• Oman
• Saudi Arabia