A brief overview of the meaning, history, and key facts about the national flag of Maldives.
Flag of Maldives
The national flag of the Maldives consists of a red field with a green rectangle in the center and a white crescent facing the fly. The red background symbolizes the sacrifices made by national heroes in defense of the country and the sovereignty of the nation, while the green rectangle represents life, progress, and prosperity. The white crescent reflects the Islamic faith of the nation.
Printable Maldives Flag (PNG Download)
Interesting facts about the Maldives’ flag
1. Some of the earliest flags of the Maldives were plain red banners, which were later modified with additional elements.
2. A black-and-white striped band at the hoist, known as the Dhandimathi, was used on earlier Maldivian flags before being removed in 1965.
3. The green rectangle and white crescent were introduced in the early 20th century during reforms under Prime Minister Amir Abdul Majid Didi.
4. Earlier versions of the flag had the crescent facing the hoist, but its direction was later reversed to face the fly.
5. The current design of the Maldivian flag was officially adopted on 26 July 1968, after the country became a republic.
Explore more about the Maldives:
Evolution of the Maldives’ flag
Plain red flag (1796–1903)
Early flags of the Maldives consisted of a simple red field, which served as the national banner for many years.
Red flag with Dhandimathi (1903–1926)
A black-and-white striped hoist known as the Dhandimathi was added to the red flag.
State flag with green rectangle (1926–1953)
A green rectangle and white crescent were added to the flag during reforms in the early 20th century.
Flag with crescent and green rectangle (1953–1965)
The crescent was reversed so that it faced the hoist, while the rest of the design remained the same.
History of the Maldives flag
Early flags
Some of the earliest flags of the Maldives were plain red banners, which were traditionally used as national symbols.
Later, a black-and-white striped hoist called the Dhandimathi was added to the flag.
Introduction of the crescent
In the early 20th century, Abdul Majeed Didi introduced a new design that included a white crescent and a green rectangle on the flag.
These changes were made sometime between 1926 and 1932 during his term as prime minister.
Republican period
In 1953, the Maldives briefly became a republic and the design of the flag was modified again. During this period the direction of the crescent was changed so that it faced the hoist.
When the Sultanate was restored in 1954, the flag design remained in use.
Independence and the modern flag
When the Maldives gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1965, the black-and-white hoist stripe was removed. This created the modern flag design that is still used today.
Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. With seven years of teaching experience and a background in educational content, she specialises in creating clear reference resources about countries, geography and global topics.