Flag of Somalia
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| Use | National flag and ensign  |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Adopted | October 12 1954 |
| Design | A single white five-pointed star centered on a light blue field. |
| Designed by | Mohammed Awale Liban |
The Flag of Somalia (Somali: Calanka Soomaaliya, Arabic: علم الصومال), also known as the Somali Flag, is the official flag of the Federal Republic of Somalia. Adopted on October 12, 1954, it was designed by Mohammed Awale Liban.[1][2] Upon unification of Italian Somaliland and British Somaliland, the flag was used for the nascent Somali Republic. It was originally conceived and serves as an ethnic flag for the Somali people.[3]
Contents
History
The flag of Somalia was created in 1954 during the transitional trusteeship period of the nation's history. It was personally designed by the Somali scholar Mohammed Awale Liban, after he had been selected by the Somali labour trade union to come up with a design in preparation for independence.[1][2] The flag was first used in the Trust Territory of Somaliland and the short-lived State of Somaliland (former British Somaliland), which united on July 1, 1960 to form the Somali Republic.
Characteristics
As an ethnic flag, the five-pointed white Star of Unity in its center represents the Somali ethnic group found in Djibouti, the Ogaden region in Ethiopia, the North Eastern Province in Kenya, and the former British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland territories in present-day Somalia.[3][4]
The Somali flag's light blue backdrop was originally influenced by the flag of the United Nations, in recognition of the UN's role in Somalia's transition to independence during the trusteeship period.[5][6] However, it now officially denotes the sky as well as the Indian Ocean, which flanks the country.[4]
The flag's blazon, or heraldic description, is: Azure, a mullet Argent.
Construction
The flag of Somalia can be faithfully reproduced using the following construction plan:
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Historical flags
The following are the flags historically used in the territory of present-day Somalia:
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Flag of the Adal Sultanate (1415–1577)
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Flag of the Ajuran Empire (13th century–17th century)
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Flag of Ottoman Zeila (1559–1867)
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Flag of the Dervish State (1896–1920) (1903-1950)
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Flag of British Somaliland (1903-1950)
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Flag of British Somaliland (1950-60)
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Flag of Italian Somaliland (1861-1946)
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See also
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 History of the flag
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Maria Costantino, The Illustrated Flag Handbook, (Gramercy Books: 2001), p.185.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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References
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