Flag of the Comoros
National flag of the Union of the Comoros, adopted in 2001.
The flag of the Union of the Comoros, featuring a crescent and four stars, was created in 2001 and formally adopted on 23 December that year. This symbol had already appeared in different versions since 1975, during the independence movement.
Quick Facts
- Use
- 111000
- Proportion
- 3:5
- Adoption
- 23 December 2001
- Designer
- Suzanne Gauthier
Facts from the source article.
Design
The flag of the Comoros features a green triangle holding a white crescent and four white five-pointed stars. Four horizontal stripes run across the rest of the flag: yellow for Mohéli, white for Mayotte, red for Anjouan, and blue for Grande Comore. These stripes and the four stars both represent the nation’s four main islands. The crescent, star, and green color symbolize Islam. While the stars usually point upward, as shown in the original adoption model, no legal document fixes their orientation, and a version exists where they point outward.
History
The Comoros first had an official flag in 1963, designed by Suzanne Gauthier for local use before independence. It was green with a 5:7 ratio, featuring a white crescent in the upper hoist pointing toward the fly and four stars arranged diagonally. This flag remained in use after independence in 1975. Under Ali Soilih in 1975, the flag changed: the crescent moved, the stars formed a diamond, and two-thirds of the field turned red to reflect socialist ideology, resembling the Soviet-era and post-1995 Belarusian flags. When Ahmed Abdallah returned as president in 1978, the flag reverted to all green, with the crescent centered and the stars lined up between its horns; its proportions are given as 1:2, 2:3, or 3:5. A 1992 constitution rotated the crescent and stars to face upward. Another constitution in 1996 rotated the flag to face the fly and added white Arabic inscriptions: "Muhammed" at the lower hoist and "Allah" at the upper fly, with a 7:5 ratio. This flag was replaced by referendum in 2001 with the current design. Between 1996 and 2001, Annin Flagmakers produced variants with the names written out in longform. One such flag flew outside the United Nations headquarters in 2000, prompting the Comorian ambassador to reject it.
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